first

English

/fɜːst/, /fɝst/, /fɪrst/

adj
Definitions
  • Preceding all others of a series or kind; the ordinal of one; earliest.
  • Most eminent or exalted; most excellent; chief; highest.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English first inherited from Old English fyrst inherited from Proto-Germanic *furistaz (first, foremost), *fur derived from Proto-Indo-European *per- (risk, bring forth, fare, through, try, go, traverse, across, carry forth, bring forward, produce, procure, forth, before, attempt, over, go over, pass through, go through, beyond, research, bear, forward, penetrate, put across, sell, lead across, front, formerly, dare, throughout, ferry, cross, transfer, pierce, strike, a going, peril, first, beat, out, passage, of, bring carry over, pass, next, in front) suffix from English fore (prominent, for, out in front) root from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- (bend, in front, before).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*preh₂-

Gloss

bend, in front, before

Concept
Semantic Field

Basic actions and technology

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Kanji

前

Emoji

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms