Definitions for: First


[n] the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed at first base
[n] the lowest forward gear ratio in the gear box of a motor vehicle; used to start a car moving
[n] (Great Britain) an honours degree of the highest class
[n] the first element in a countable series; "the first of the month"
[n] the first or highest in an ordering or series; "He wanted to be the first"
[n] the time at which something begins; "They got an early start"
[adv] before anything else; "first we must consider the garter snake"
[adv] the initial time; "when Felix first saw a garter snake"
[adv] prominently forward; "he put his best foot foremost"
[adv] before another in time, space, or importance; "I was here first"; "let's do this job first"
[adj] being the gear producing the lowest drive speed; "use first gear on steep hills"
[adj] ranking above all others; "was first in her class"; "the foremost figure among marine artists"; "the top graduate"
[adj] serving to begin; "the beginning canto of the poem"; "the first verse"
[adj] serving to set in motion; "the magazine's inaugural issue"; "the initiative phase in the negotiations"; "an initiatory step toward a treaty"; "his first (or maiden) speech in Congress"; "the liner's maiden voyage"
[adj] preceding all others in time or space or degree; "the first house on the right"; "the first day of spring"; "his first political race"; "her first baby"; "the first time"; "the first meetings of the new party"; "the first phase of his training"
[adj] (music) highest in pitch or chief among parts or voices or instruments or orchestra sections; "first soprano"; "the first violin section"; "played first horn"
[adj] indicating the beginning unit in a series



Webster (1913) Definition: First, a. [OE. first, furst, AS. fyrst; akin to Icel.
fyrstr, Sw. & Dan. f["o]rste, OHG. furist, G. f["u]rst
prince; a superlatiye form of E. for, fore. See For,
Fore, and cf. Formeer, Foremost.]
1. Preceding all others of a series or kind; the ordinal of
one; earliest; as, the first day of a month; the first
year of a reign.

2. Foremost; in front of, or in advance of, all others.

3. Most eminent or exalted; most excellent; chief; highest;
as, Demosthenes was the first orator of Greece.

At first blush. See under Blush.

At first hand, from the first or original source; without
the intervention of any agent.

It is the intention of the person to reveal it at
first hand, by way of mouth, to yourself. --Dickens.

First coat (Plastering), the solid foundation of coarse
stuff, on which the rest is placed; it is thick, and
crossed with lines, so as to give a bond for the next
coat.

First day, Sunday; -- so called by the Friends.

First floor.
(a) The ground floor. [U.S.]
(b) The floor next above the ground floor. [Eng.]

First fruit or fruits.
(a) The fruits of the season earliest gathered.
(b) (Feudal Law) One year's profits of lands belonging to
the king on the death of a tenant who held directly
from him.
(c) (Eng. Eccl. Law) The first year's whole profits of a
benefice or spiritual living.
(d) The earliest effects or results.

See, Father, what first fruits on earth are
sprung From thy implanted grace in man!
--Milton.

First mate, an officer in a merchant vessel next in rank to
the captain.

First name, same as Christian name. See under Name, n.


First officer (Naut.), in the merchant service, same as
First mate (above).

First sergeant (Mil.), the ranking non-commissioned officer
in a company; the orderly sergeant. --Farrow.

First watch (Naut.), the watch from eight to twelve at
midnight; also, the men on duty during that time.

First water, the highest quality or purest luster; -- said
of gems, especially of diamond and pearls.

Syn: Primary; primordial; primitive; primeval; pristine;
highest; chief; principal; foremost.


First, adv.
Before any other person or thing in time, space, rank, etc.;
-- much used in composition with adjectives and participles.

Adam was first formed, then Eve. --1 Tim. ii.
13.

At first, At the first, at the beginning or origin.

First or last, at one time or another; at the beginning or
end.

And all are fools and lovers first or last.
--Dryden.


First, n. (Mus.)
The upper part of a duet, trio, etc., either vocal or
instrumental; -- so called because it generally expresses the
air, and has a pre["e]minence in the combined effect.

Synonyms: 1st, archetypal, archetypical, basic, beginning, beginning(a), best, commencement, eldest, first base, first gear, first of all, first off, firstborn, first-class honours degree, firstly, first-year, for the first time, foremost, foremost, forward, freshman, inaugural, initial, initiative, initiatory, introductory, kickoff, low, low, low gear, maiden, number 1, number one, number one, offset, oldest, opening, ordinal, original, outset, premier, premier(a), premiere, prime(a), prototypal, prototypic, prototypical, start, starting time, top(a)

Antonyms: end, ending, intermediate, last, middle, second

See Also: auto, automobile, baseball team, birth, car, double first, early, former, front(a), gear, gear mechanism, honours, honours degree, incipience, incipiency, machine, motorcar, no., ordinal, ordinal number, point, point in time, position, primary, rank, starting point, terminus a quo, threshold

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