first

The word “first” means coming before all others in order, rank, or time. In plain terms, coming before everything else, in order or in time.

“First” is pronounced furst (/fɚst/ in IPA).

Here is “first” used in a sentence: “She was the first person to arrive at the office.”

Depending on how it is used, “first” can be an adjective, an adverb and a noun.

The word “first” comes from Old English. From Old English fyrest, related to German Fürst ("prince," literally "first-born"), from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "before.".

“First” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“First” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: coming before all others in order, rank, or time.

The opposite is 'last,' meaning coming after all others. 'First' marks the start of an order or sequence, while 'last' marks the end — 'the first day' contrasts with 'the last day.' Other near-opposites include 'final' and, for rank, 'lowest' or 'last place.'

Yes. 'First' is the ordinal form of 'one,' describing position in a sequence rather than quantity. Ordinals — first, second, third — tell you the order of things, while cardinals — one, two, three — tell you how many. So 'first' answers 'which one?', not 'how many?'

'First' refers to position — coming before all others in order or time. 'Foremost' refers to importance — the leading or most prominent. The phrase 'first and foremost' combines both, stressing that something is the top priority. You can be first in line without being the foremost expert.

In 'the first chapter,' 'first' tells you it comes before all the others in order. Other examples include 'her first job,' 'the first time,' and 'first place.' In each, 'first' ranks the noun ahead of everything else in sequence, time, or importance.