first 
now shown also, by the unanimous suffrage of the country, 
to be first in peace. 
D. Webster, Speech, New York, March 10, 1881. 
First agent, 'we nr/ent.^ First baiting, the supply of 
h;iit lif.-t taken mi board a lishinu'-vesst'l hound fur the 
Banks. (Local, V. S.] First base, in baa'-lmll, tin- lirst 
of the bases from the hunK'-platc, >r the player stationed 
at that base. Sec (/.-'. Hi. and Imse-lmll. -First Cause, 
a cause which does not depend upon any other. 
So Adam is thejirit cause of men in his species, because 
begotten of no other man as the rest were. 
Burgersdicius, tr. by a Gentleman, I. xvii. a). 
First chop. See chop*, 2. First controller. See con- 
troller, 2. First cousin, set- .-..iMini. >. First-day, 
the first day of the week that is, .Sunday ; the name pre- 
ferred by the Society of Friends to designate Sunday. 
The First-day after, I was moved to go to Aldenham 
steeple-house. Fox, Journal, I. 147. 
Come, sit thee down ! Here is the bench where Benjamin 
would sit 
On Firnt-tlai/ afternoons in spring, and watch the swallows 
flit. B. Taylor, The Quaker Widow. 
First difference. See difference. First digit, the in- 
nermost digit of a pentadactyl limb ; in man, the thumb 
or the great toe. First energy. See energy, 4. First 
ens. See CHS. First extreme. See extreme, n., 4. 
First figure of syllogism. See figure, 9. First floor. 
See floor. First good, in ethics, that which is desirable 
for itself; the ultimate end. First hand, the mate of 
a fishing-smack. [Florida, U. S.] First Integral See 
integral. First intention, notion. See the nouns. 
First inversion, iron, mate, matter, meridian, mo- 
tor, pherecratic, philosophy, position, principle, 
etc. See the nouns. First set, in it'halinti, the first 
thrust of the lance: as, the whale died at the first set. 
Also called first lance. First Subject or Object of a 
science, the general class of things to which the science 
relates. First Substance, in metaph., an individual 
thing. The first, even one ; a single. [Colloq., U. 8.] 
I am not aware of having committed the first act which 
should bring upon me the displeasure of the house. 
W. A. Gilbert, Speech in House of Kep., Feb. 27, 1857. 
= Syn. () Primary, primordial, original, primitive, pris- 
tine, earliest. See comparison under primary, (c) Highest, 
chief, principal, capital, foremost, leading. 
II. n. 1. That which is first ; the beginning, 
or that which makes or constitutes a beginning. 
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the 
first and the last. Rev. xxii. 13. 
2. la music: (n) The voice or instrument that 
takes the highest or chief part in its class, espe- 
cially in au orchestra or chorus ; a leader of a 
part or group of performers. (6) The interval 
and concord of the unison or prime. See uni- 
son and prime. 3. Same as first base (which 
see, above). 4. The highest rank in an exam- 
ination for honors : as, lie got a first in math- 
ematics. See double-first. [Eng. university 
term.]- At first, at the first, (a) At the beginning or 
origin. (M) Immediately. Davies. 
He bids them put the matter in adventure and then but 
whistle for an angel, and they will come at first. 
Bp. Andrews, Sermons, V. 523. 
First of exchange. See exchange. From the first, 
from the beginning or origin. 
Ferdinand and Isabella manifested from the first an 
eager and enlightened curiosity in reference to their new 
acquisitions. Prescott, Ferd. and Isa., ii. 9. 
first 1 (f erst), rtrh: [< ME. first, ferst,furst, fyrst, 
< AS. fyrst (rare) = Icel. firsts* Sw.' Dan. f first, 
adv.; from the adj.] 1. Before all others in 
place or progression, rank, order of time, etc. 
Thanne un to Monnte Joye; and from thenne, Pylgrymes 
mowen fyrxte se nn to Jerusalem. 
Mandemlle, Travels, p. 126. 
Adam was first formed, then Eve. 1 Tim. ii. 13. 
The two senses to which all objects first address them- 
selves are the sight and the touch. 
Swift, Tale of a Tub, ix. 
Hence 2. Sooner; before doing or suffering 
(that is, so as not to do or suffer) some act or 
result : as, I will not do it, I will die first. 
My noble childe, thou shall not fall in virtue ; 
I and my power will sink first. 
Fletcher, Humorous Lieutenant, ii. 4. 
Die? 
He'll bribe a jailer or break prison first ! 
Brooming, Ring and Book, II. 177. 
First and last, altogether. 
I mentioned an Account I intended to give of the Bay of 
Campeachy, where I lived first and last about 3 Years. 
Dampier, Voyages, II. ii. 2. 
First or last, at one time or another ; at the beginning 
or end. 
And all are fools and lovers first or last. Drydcn. 
Head first. See head. 
first'^t, . [ME., also furst, fyrst; < AS. fyrxt, 
time: see/ra(.] Time; time granted; respite: 
same as frist. 
Ak hei erieth him mere! so suithe, 
That he jaf hem furst of here line. 
King Horn (E. E. T. S.), p. 112. 
first-begott, first-begotten (ferst'be-got", 
-got"n), . First produced; eldest among chil- 
dren. 
When he bringeth in the fintbettotten into the world, he 
saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. Hcl>. i. n. 
2234 
first-born (ferst'born), o. and n. I. a. 1. First 
brought forth; first in the order of birth; eld- 
est: as, the first-born son. Hence 2. Most 
excellent; most distinguished or exalted. 
II. ti. The first-born child; hence, the first 
result or product. 
I wili make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of 
the earth. I's. Ixxxix. -r, . 
Where pale-fac'd murder, the first-born of pride, 
Sets up her kingdom in the very smiles 
And plighted faiths of men like crocodiles. 
Quarles, Emblems, v. 7. 
first-class (ferst'klas), a. 1. Of the highest 
class with respect to some quality or mark, es- 
pecially with respect to excellence; first-rate. 
[Colloq.] 
Her father was a what you would call & first-class busi- 
ness man. It'. M. Baker, New Timothy, p. 240. 
Specifically 2. Best equipped and most ex- 
pensive : noting the first grade of conveyances 
for travel: as, he traveled first-clans ; & first- 
class coach or carriage. 3. Of the first class 
in any order of numeration, as from the lowest 
to the highest : as, a first-class clerk (one re- 
ceiving the lowest salary). [U. S.] First-class 
matter, injthe postal system of the United States, matter 
which is in writing, or sealed against inspection, 
first-foot (ferst'fut), n. In Scotland, the person 
who first enters a dwelling-house after the com- 
ing in of the year ; also, the first person or ob- 
ject met on setting out on any important jour- 
ney or undertaking. 
Great attention is paid to the first-foot : that is, the [first] 
person who happens to meet them [the marriage com- 
pany] ; and if such person does not voluntarily offer to 
go back with them, he is generally compelled to do so. A 
man on horseback is reckoned very lucky, and a bare-footed 
woman almost as bad as a witch. Edinburgh May. 
first-fruit (ferst'frot'), . andrt. I. . [Usual- 
ly in the plural.] 1. The earliest productions 
of the soil; the first gatherings of a season's 
produce. Of these the Jews made an offering 
to God, as an acknowledgment of his sovereign 
dominion. 
The fi rstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine 
oil, and the flrst of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give 
him. Dent, xviii. 4. 
2. The first profits of anything; in feudal and 
eccles. law, the first year's profit of a tenant of 
real property. The first-fruits of a benefice were pay- 
able in the Church of Home to the pope, in the Church of 
England formerly to the crown, but since the time of 
Queen Anne, when paid at all, to a benevolent fund. See 
Queen A nne's bounty, under bounty. 
I had a commission to solicit, in conjunction with two 
bishops who were then in London, the first-fruits and 
tenth to the clergy. Strift, Change in Queen's Ministry. 
The right to the first-fruits of bishoprics and other pro- 
motions was apparently flrst claimed in England by Alex- 
ander IV. in 1256. Stubbs, Const. Hist., 395. 
3. The first portion, products, effects, or results 
of anything. 
See, Father, \i\\&t first-fruits on earth are sprung 
From thy implanted grace in man ! 
Milton, t. L., xi. 22. 
We give you welcome : not without redound 
Of use and glory to yourselves ye come, 
The first-fruits of the stranger. 
Tennyson, Princess, ii. 
Il.t a. Original; earliest. Congreve. 
first-hand (ferst'hand'), n. The first or highest 
source, without the intervention of agents or 
media of any kind: generally with at, or, with- 
out a preposition, in adverbial use : as, infor- 
mation secured at first-hand from the person 
interested ; goods obtained first-hand from the 
manufacturer. 
Case 238, though our flrst knowledge of it was due to a 
published account, would have been at once procured at 
firsthand from the percipient, had we been at work in 1876. 
Amer. Soc. Psych. Research, I. 159. 
first-hand (ferst'hand), a. [< first-hand, .] 
Obtained direct from the first source ; obtained 
from the producer, maker, etc., without the in- 
tervention of agents or media. 
One sphere there is . . . where the apprehension of Him 
is first-hand and direct ; and that is the sphere of our mind. 
J. Martineau. 
firsthoodt (ferst'hud), n. [< first + -hood; ME. 
firsthed, < first + -hed, -head.] The state or 
condition of priority. 
So that in election Christ held the primacy, the first- 
hood. Goodwin, Works, I. vi. 
firstling (ferst'ling), n. and a. [< first + -Kr/i.] 
I. n. 1. The first produce or off spring: applied 
to beasts. 
A shepherd next, 
More meek, came with the firstlings of his flock, 
Choicest and best. Milton, P. L., xi. 437. 
2t. The thing first thought or done. 
The very firstlings of my heart shall be 
Tile firetliniji of my hand. Sliak., -Macbeth, iv. 1. 
fiscal 
I have given ye two or three notes of him out of his Ti- 
tlr ]>ai:e; by which \u* jirxfliitri* fcare nut toguesse boldl) 
at liis whole lumpe, for that <:m:*si- uill not fail*: ye. 
Stilton, Apology for Smectymnuus. 
II. a. First produced. 
All thefirstliiii/ males that conic of thy herd and of thy 
Hock thou shalt sanctify unto the Lord thy God. 
Deut. xv. 19. 
firstly (ferst'li), (?<-. First; in the first place ; 
before anything else. 
Christ shed his Mood, by 's wound to save us, 
And salve the wound th' old Mrpentjirvtfy gave us. 
fiiilrcxter, tr. of Du liartas. 
First (for I detest your ridiculous and most pedantic 
neologism of lirxtlif) flrst the shilling for which I have 
given a receipt ; secondly two skeins of suitable thread. 
De Quincey, Spanish Nun, f>. 
firstness (ferst'nes), . The quality or state of 
being first. [Rare.] 
When I give (as he acknowledges) a firstness of prece- 
dency and presidency to the Pope, he tells me he is con- 
fident I know not how much more is allowed him by the 
universal consent of all Catholicks, as of divine institution, 
whatever I may have read in particular authors. 
Hininiiond, Works, II. 163. 
first-rate (ferst'rat), a. and . I. a. Of the 
first class or rate ; especially, of the highest ex- 
cellence; preeminent in quality or estimation. 
Think not these Instructions are design'd 
For first-rate Beauties of the finish'd kind. 
Congreve, tr. of Ovid's Art of Love. 
We have a first-rate musician in the house now Herr 
Klesmer. George Eliot, Daniel Deronda, v. 
F,ntire}y first-rate work is so quiet and natural that there 
can be no dispute over it; you may not particularly ad- 
mire it, but you will find no fault with it. 
Ruekin, Lectures on Art, 5 129. 
II. n. Something rated among the first or 
in the first class ; specifically, a war-ship of the 
first or most powerful rating or class. 
firth 1 ! (ferth), n. [< ME. firth, fyrth, transposed 
form of frith, a park, wood, etc. : see frith^, n.~\ 
A wood or park : same as frith^, 2. 
We have foundene in gone firthe, floreschede with leves, 
The flour of the faireste folke that to thi foo langez. 
Morte Arthure (E. E. T. 8.), 1. 1708. 
firth 2 (ferth), M. See/n<*2. 
fir-tree (fer'tre), n. and a. [< ME. firtre, fyrr- 
tree, fyrretre (= Dan. fyrretrw); < fir + tree.] 
I. n. The tree called fir. 
II. a. Inhabiting orfrequentingfirs.- Fir-tree 
parrots, a name of the crossbills, fringilline birds of the 
genus Loxia. 
fir-WOOd (fer'wud), n. [Cf. AS. gloss "furh- 
wudu, pinus"; = Dan. fyrrcred, fir-wood: see 
fir.] The wood of the fir-tree. 
fir-wool (fer'wul), M. A fibrous substance pre- 
pared from the leaves of various species of the 
genera Pinus and Abies Fir-wool extract, an ex- 
tract from the leaves of various species of Pinus and Abies. 
Fir-wool oil, a volatile oil distilled from the leaves of 
various species of i'imis and Abies. 
fiiyt (fir'i), a. An obsolete spelling of fiery. 
firzet, See furze. 
fisc (fisk), n. [< F. fisc = Pr. fisc, fisco = Sp. 
Pg. It. fisco, < L. fiscus, a basket of rushes, a 
money-bag, the public chest, the state trea- 
sury.] A treasury, particularly that of a prince 
or a state. 
The streams were perennial which fed his/*c. 
Lamb, Two Races of Men. 
It had been decided to forbid the Prince bread, water, 
fire, and shelter ; to give his wealth to the fine, his heart 
to the assassin. Motley, Dutch Republic, III. 494. 
Its [the United States government's] proper business as 
a fisc is to receive the people's revenue from taxes in good 
money which it has coined for them. 
Report of See. of Treasury, 1886, I. xxxvi. 
fiscal (fis'kal), a. and n. [= D. fiskaal = Dan. 
Sw. fiskal, "< F. fiscal = Pr. Sp. Pg. fiscal = It. 
fiscale, < LL. fiscalis, of or belonging to the 
state treasury, < fiscus, the state treasury : see 
fisc.] I. a. 1. Of or pertaining to the public 
treasury or revenue ; relating to or concerned 
with the collection and expenditure of taxes 
and customs ; pertaining to the financial oper- 
ations of a government. 
Whatever amount is taken from the community in the 
form of taxes, if not lost, goes to them in the shape of ex- 
penditures or disbursements. The two disbursement 
and taxation constitute the fiscal action of the govern- 
ment. Calhoun, Works, I. 19. 
In the taxes imposed by the Parliamentary ordinances 
we find the germs of our subsequent/*a system. 
S. Dowett, Taxes in England, II. 4. 
Hence 2. Of or pertaining to financial mat- 
ters in general: as, a fiscal agent Fiscal lands, 
among the Franks, lands set apart to form a fund which 
might support the dignity of the king, and supply him with 
the means of rewarding merit and encouraging valor. 
These, under the name of benefices, were granted to fa- 
vored subjects, upon the condition that thegrantees should 
render to the king personal service in the field. Fiscal 
y"ear, the financial year of the treasury of a government ; 
icnce, the period at the end of which the accounts of any 
T 
In 
