adv · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈfɜɹstli/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:F ER1 S T L IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adv
Meaning 1
In the first place; before anything else; first.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: formal, not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adverb
Meaning 2
before anything else
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
first we must consider the garter snake
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: first, foremost, first of all, first off
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Coined before 1475, from Middle English fyrst-lyk, equivalent to first + -ly.
Across languages
Translations
109 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
Ne Fillim
— in the first place
Arabic:
أَوَّلًا
(ʔawwalan)
— in the first place
Armenian:
նախ
(nax)
— in the first place
Aromanian:
ntãnj
— in the first place
Aromanian:
ntãnjiu
— in the first place
Azerbaijani:
əvvəla
— in the first place
Azerbaijani:
əvvəlcə
— in the first place
Azerbaijani:
birinci növbədə
— in the first place
Azerbaijani:
ilk növbədə
— in the first place
Bashkir:
тәүҙә
(təwźə)
— in the first place
Bashkir:
башта
(başta)
— in the first place
Bashkir:
алда
(alda)
— in the first place
Bashkir:
алдан
(aldan)
— in the first place
Bashkir:
беренсенән
(berensenən)
— in the first place
Belarusian:
па-пе́ршае
(pa-pjéršaje)
— in the first place
Bengali:
আউয়াল
(auẏal)
— in the first place
Bulgarian:
пъ́рво
(pǎ́rvo)
— in the first place
Catalan:
primerament
— in the first place
Chinese Mandarin:
第一
(dìyī)
— in the first place
Chinese Mandarin:
首先
(shǒuxiān)
— in the first place
Chinese Mandarin:
先
(xiān)
— in the first place
Chinese Mandarin:
最先
(zuìxiān)
— in the first place
Chinese Mandarin:
一來 /一来
(yīlái)
— in the first place
Crimean Tatar:
birinciden
— in the first place
Crimean Tatar:
evelâ
— in the first place
Crimean Tatar:
eñ evelâ
— in the first place
Czech:
za prvé
— in the first place
Danish:
for det første
— in the first place
Dutch:
ten eerste
— in the first place
Esperanto:
unue
— in the first place
Estonian:
esiteks
— in the first place
Finnish:
ensiksi
— in the first place
Finnish:
ensinnäkin
— in the first place
Finnish:
ensisijaisesti
— in the first place
French:
d'abord
— in the first place
French:
premièrement
— in the first place
French:
en premier lieu
— in the first place
French:
primo
— in the first place
French:
avant tout
— in the first place
Galician:
primeiramente
— in the first place
Galician:
primeiro
— in the first place
German:
erstens
— in the first place
Hungarian:
először
— in the first place
Hungarian:
elsőként
— in the first place
Hungarian:
először is
— in the first place
Icelandic:
í fyrsta lagi
— in the first place
Ido:
unesme
— in the first place
Ingrian:
enstää
— in the first place
Ingrian:
ensti
— in the first place
Ingrian:
ensiks
— in the first place
Irish:
ar an gcéad dul síos
— in the first place
Italian:
dapprima
— in the first place
Italian:
prima
— in the first place
Italian:
in primo luogo
— in the first place
Japanese:
先ず
(mazu)
— in the first place
Japanese:
第一に
(daiichi ni)
— in the first place
Japanese:
最初に
(saisho ni)
— in the first place
Japanese:
初めに
(hajime ni)
— in the first place
Karakhanid:
اِلْكْ
(ilk)
— in the first place
Kazakh:
біріншіден
(bırınşıden)
— in the first place
Korean:
첫째로
(cheotjjaero)
— in the first place
Korean:
먼저
(meonjeo)
— in the first place
Latin:
prīmō
— in the first place
Macedonian:
прво
(prvo)
— in the first place
Malay:
pertama
— in the first place
Malay:
semula
— in the first place
Malayalam:
ആദ്യം
(ādyaṁ)
— in the first place
Malayalam:
ഒന്നാമത്
(onnāmatŭ)
— in the first place
Māori:
mātua
— in the first place
Pannonian Rusyn:
перше
(perše)
— in the first place
Pannonian Rusyn:
насампредз
(nasampredz)
— in the first place
Persian:
اولا
(awvalan)
— in the first place
Polish:
najpierw
— in the first place
Polish:
najsampierw
— in the first place
Polish:
na początku
— in the first place
Polish:
naprzód
— in the first place
Polish:
nasamprzód
— in the first place
Polish:
na wstępie
— in the first place
Polish:
pierw
— in the first place
Polish:
pierwej
— in the first place
Polish:
po pierwsze
— in the first place
Polish:
wpierw
— in the first place
Portuguese:
primeiramente
— in the first place
Romanian:
prim
— in the first place
Romanian:
întâi
— in the first place
Russian:
во-пе́рвых
(vo-pérvyx)
— in the first place
Russian:
пре́жде всего́
(préžde vsevó)
— in the first place
Russian:
в пе́рвую о́чередь
(v pérvuju óčeredʹ)
— in the first place
Russian:
пе́рвым до́лгом
(pérvym dólgom)
— in the first place
Sanskrit:
प्रथमम्
(prathamam)
— in the first place
Scottish Gaelic:
an toiseach
— in the first place
Slovak:
po prvé
— in the first place
Slovene:
najprej
— in the first place
Slovene:
prvič
— in the first place
Spanish:
primeramente
— in the first place
Swedish:
för det första
— in the first place
Tajik:
аввалан
(avvalan)
— in the first place
Tamil:
முதலில்
(mutalil)
— in the first place
Turkish:
ilk
— in the first place
Turkish:
önce
— in the first place
Ottoman Turkish:
اوكجه
(önce)
— in the first place
Ottoman Turkish:
الك
(ilk)
— in the first place
Ukrainian:
по-пе́рше
(po-pérše)
— in the first place