firstly

English

Etymology

Coined before 1475, from Middle English fyrst-lyk, equivalent to first +‎ -ly.[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfɜɹstli/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Hyphenation: first‧ly

Adverb

firstly (not comparable)

  1. (formal) In the first place; before anything else; first.
    • 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page vii:
      Firstly, I continue to base most species treatments on personally collected material, rather than on herbarium plants. […] Secondly, I continue to base my concepts on intensive study of a limited suite of collections, rather than superficial study of every packet that comes to hand.
    • 2025 May 3, Kev, “Rocket Appartamento TCA Review”, in Coffee Blog‎[2]:
      We'll go into more depth with all the specs shortly so anyone less well versed in espresso speak will understand what I'm harping on about, but firstly let's just talk about using the machine.

Usage notes

  • Whether it is proper to use "firstly", rather than "first", has often been disputed.
    • Beginning in the early 19th century, some have argued against the use of "firstly", advocating the sequence: "First", "secondly", "thirdly", ....
    • The usage of "firstly" is also deprecated by some modern style guides.[2] The Chicago Manual of Style further recommends that all such -ly forms be avoided, and that list items begin only with "first", "second", and so forth.[3]
    • Other authorities disagree.
      • The American Heritage Dictionary comments:
        It is well established that either first or firstly can be used to begin an enumeration: Our objectives are, first (or firstly), to recover from last year's slump.[4]
      • The Oxford English Dictionary notes the dispute but does not pass judgment: "many writers prefer first, even though closely followed by secondly, thirdly, etc."[5]
    • "Firstly" may appear more formal than "first". "Firstly" is often recommended for the formal enumeration of arguments.[6]

Synonyms

Translations

See also

References

  1. ^ “firstly, adv. and n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
  2. ^ International English Usage
  3. ^ Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003, →ISBN
  4. ^ “firstly”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
  5. ^ "Firstly" in the Oxford English Dictionary, online edition (subscription required)
  6. ^ E.g. “Writing in a Formal Style for Academic Purposes”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎[1], Waylink Direct, 21 October 2008 (last accessed), archived from the original on 30 April 2008
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