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   First

   /fərst/

   

   ordinal

   • 1. coming before all others in time or order; earliest; 1st: "his first wife" Similar earliestinitialopeningintroductoryoriginalfundamentalbasicrudimentaryprimarybeginningelementalunderlyingbasalfoundationkeycardinalcentralchiefvitalessentialOpposite lastclosingdeveloped
   • ▪ never previously done or occurring: "her first day at school"
   • ▪ coming next after a specified or implied time or occurrence: "I didn't take the first bus"
   • ▪ met with or encountered before any others: "the first house I came to"
   • ▪ originally: "many valuable drugs have been recognized first as poisons"
   • ▪ before doing something else specified or implied: "Do you mind if I take a shower first?" Similar before anything elsefirst and foremostfirstlyin the first placewithout further adonowOpposite last
   • ▪ for the first time: "she first picked up a guitar out of sheer boredom"
   • ▪ firstly; in the first place (used to introduce a first point or reason): "first, it is wrong that the victims should have no remedy"
   • ▪ in preference; rather (used when strongly rejecting a suggestion or possibility): "she longed to go abroad, but not at this man's expense—she'd die first!" Similar in preferencemore willinglysoonerrather
   • ▪ the first occurrence of something notable: informal "we traveled by air, a first for both of us" Similar noveltynew experiencefirst experiencefirst occurrenceunusual eventinformal:a turn-up for the books
   • ▪ the first in a sequence of a vehicle's gears: "he stuck the car in first and revved"
   • ▪ first base: "he made it all the way home from first"
   • ▪ the first grade of a school. British
   • ▪ a first edition of a book: "collectors of modern firsts"
   • 2. foremost in position, rank, or importance: "the doctor's first duty is to respect this right" Similar foremostprincipalhighestgreatestparamounttoptopmostutmostuppermostprimechiefleadingmainmajorpreeminentoverridingoutstandingsupremepremierpredominantprevailingmost importantof greatest importanceof prime importancevitalkeyessentialcrucialcentralcorefocalpivotaldominantrulingheadinformal:number-onetopbestprimepremiersuperlativewinner'swinningchampionOpposite last
   • ▪ the most likely, pressing, or suitable: "he is the first to admit he was not the best of patients"
   • ▪ the first finisher or position in a race or competition.
   • ▪ performing the highest or chief of two or more parts for the same instrument or voice: "the first violins"
   • ▪ a place in the top grade in an examination, especially that for a degree: British "he took a first in Classics"
   • ▪ a person having achieved a top grade in an examination. British
   • ▪ goods of the best quality: "factory firsts, seconds, and discontinued styles"
   • 3. with a specified part or person in a leading position: "it plunged nose first into the river"

   Word Origin Old Englishfyr(e)st; of Germanic origin, related to Old Norse fyrstr and German Fürst ‘prince’, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit prathama, Latin primus, and Greek prōtos.

   Scrabble Points: 8

   • F

     4

   • I

     1

   • R

     1

   • S

     1

   • T

     1

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