firstly
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
Coined before 1475, from Middle English fyrst-lyk, equivalent to first + -ly.[1]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈfɜɹstli/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Adverb
firstly (not comparable)
- (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.
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]
- The American Heritage Dictionary comments:
- "Firstly" may appear more formal than "first". "Firstly" is often recommended for the formal enumeration of arguments.[6]
Synonyms
- 1stly, first, first of all, first up; see also Thesaurus:firstly
Translations
in the first place
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See also
References
- “firstly, adv. and n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000. - “firstly”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
- "Firstly" in the Oxford English Dictionary, online edition (subscription required)
- E.g. “Writing in a Formal Style for Academic Purposes”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), Waylink Direct, 2008 October 21 (last accessed), archived from the original on 30 April 2008
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