Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

First \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 \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 \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 \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.

Source : WordNet®

first
     adj 1: 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" [ant: {last}, {intermediate}]
     2: indicating the beginning unit in a series [syn: {1st}]
     3: 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" [syn: {inaugural},
        {initiative}, {initiatory}, {maiden}]
     4: serving to begin; "the beginning canto of the poem"; "the
        first verse" [syn: {beginning(a)}]
     5: ranking above all others; "was first in her class"; "the
        foremost figure among marine artists"; "the top graduate"
        [syn: {foremost}, {world-class}]
     6: highest in pitch or chief among parts or voices or
        instruments or orchestra sections; "first soprano"; "the
        first violin section"; "played first horn" [ant: {second}]
     7: being the gear producing the lowest drive speed; "use first
        gear on steep hills" [syn: {low}]

first
     n 1: the first or highest in an ordering or series; "He wanted to
          be the first" [syn: {number one}]
     2: the first element in a countable series; "the first of the
        month" [syn: {number one}, {number 1}]
     3: the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got
        an early start"; "she knew from the get-go that he was the
        man for her" [syn: {beginning}, {commencement}, {outset},
        {get-go}, {start}, {kickoff}, {starting time}, {showtime},
         {offset}] [ant: {middle}, {end}]
     4: the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who
        is stationed at first base [syn: {first base}]
     5: an honours degree of the highest class [syn: {first-class
        honours degree}]
     6: the lowest forward gear ratio in the gear box of a motor
        vehicle; used to start a car moving [syn: {first gear}, {low
        gear}, {low}]

first
     adv 1: before anything else; "first we must consider the garter
            snake" [syn: {firstly}, {foremost}, {first of all}, {first
            off}]
     2: the initial time; "when Felix first saw a garter snake"
        [syn: {for the first time}]
     3: before another in time, space, or importance; "I was here
        first"; "let's do this job first"
     4: prominently forward; "he put his best foot foremost" [syn: {foremost}]