first

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English first, also firste,^[2][3] inherited from Old English fyrst, also fyrest,^[4][5][6] from Proto-Germanic *furistaz,^[6][7][5] a superlative formed on the Germanic base of fore with that of the suffix -est,^[8][3][9] so that it meant literally "most in front".^[7] Etymonline traces it to Proto-Indo-European *pre-isto-, superlative of *pre-, from the root *per- (“forward”).^[9][10] It is cognate with Old Frisian ferist, Old Saxon furist, Old High German furist, Old Norse fyrstr and Danish første.^[8][3][9] The same superlative gives the words for a prince, German Fürst and Dutch vorst,^[7][5] through forms such as furisto.^[3][5] Most Indo-European languages had no regular ordinal of "one" and used words from this base instead,^[8] among them Latin prīmus and Ancient Greek πρῶτος (prôtos).^[8][5][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Foremost in rank, importance or excellence: in early Old English, in King Alfred's translation of Gregory's Pastoral Care (OED).^[8] Barnhart's first record is the adjective and adverb in the entry for 963 in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, meaning "earliest, foremost".^[3][11] Etymonline likewise glosses the Old English word as "foremost, chief, principal".^[9]

Semantic evolution

The usual Old English superlative was forma, which became firme (“first, earliest”) and has not survived.^[9][8] The use of first as the earliest of a series or in time for the earliest of a series or in time is recorded from late Old English.^[8] From the 16th century it named the leading voice or instrument in music,^[8] and in 1832 the winner in a contest.^[8] A negative use, "not even the least", as in not to know the first thing about, began in American colloquial English in 1839.^[8] The noun followed the adjective: in British schools a first was the top rank in an examination by 1850, and in 1909 it became also the lowest gear of an engine.^[9] Johnson (1755) gave as the first sense "the ordinal of one".^[12] A verb, based on the adjective and modelled on second, meant to initiate a task in 1607 and to propose a resolution in 1628.^[8] Dialects had forms such as fust in Oxfordshire and vust in Berkshire.^[13] In American campus slang of the early 20th century first could mean superior.^[14]

Timeline

• early Old English – foremost in rank or importance.^[8]
• 963 – adjective, earliest, foremost, and adverb, at the first, in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.^[3][11]
• late Old English – preceding all others in a series, or in time; foremost in position.^[8]
• c. 1200 – the form firste, in the Ormulum.^[3]
• 13th century – noun, number one in a series.^[15] Barnhart's first record is before 1393, in Gower, as ferste,^[3] and Etymonline dates the sense "that which is first" to the 1560s.^[9]
• 1542 – in music, the chief of several parts for one voice or instrument.^[8] Etymonline dates the noun use to 1774.^[9]
• 1590s – noun, the first day of a month.^[9]
• 1607 – verb, to be the initiator of a task (obsolete).^[8]
• 1832 – designating the winner in a contest.^[8]
• 1839 – in negatives, even the least, as in not to know the first thing about.^[8]
• 1850 – noun, the highest rank in an examination.^[9]
• 1909 – noun, the lowest gear of an engine.^[9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Coming before all others in time; earliest: the first snow of the winter.^[16][15][8]
2. Number one in a series; the ordinal of one, often written 1st: the first chapter.^[16][15][8]
3. Ahead of all others in position; foremost: the first runner over the line.^[15][8]
4. Highest in rank, importance or excellence: the first citizen of the town.^[16][8]
5. Of the lowest forward gear of a motor vehicle.^[16][15]
6. In music, taking the highest or chief part among voices or instruments of one kind: first violin.^[16][8]

Adverb

1. Before anyone or anything else in time, order or rank: The guests eat first, and then the hosts.^[15]
2. As the first point to be mentioned; to begin with: First, I should thank the committee.^[15]
3. For the first time: We first spoke at a wedding.^[15]
4. In preference to something else; rather: She would resign first.^[15]

Noun

1. The one that is number one in a series, especially the first day of a month: the first of June.^[15][9]
2. The beginning: She distrusted him from the first.^[15]
3. Something that has never happened or been done before.^[15]
4. The lowest gear of an engine.^[9]
5. In British use, the highest rank in an examination.^[9]

Word family

• firstness
• firstly
• firstling
• first-born
• firsthand
• first-rate
• first aid

Related words

• for
• fore
• foremost
• former
• prime
• proto-
• protein
• prototype

Usage notes

The OED treats first, the ridge piece of a roof, recorded from Old English and cognate with German First, as a word of another origin.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill
7. ^ a b c Ayto, John (2005), Word Origins: The Secret Histories of English Words from A to Z, 2nd ed., London: A & C Black
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
11. ^ a b Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement
12. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
13. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
14. ^ Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
16. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins