firstling

English

Etymology

From first +‎ -ling.

Noun

firstling (plural firstlings)

1. The first produce or result, notably firstborn offspring.
   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible (Authorized Version)^[1], Genesis 4:4

     And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

2. The first of a class or kind.
3. The thing first thought or done.
   • 1603-06, William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 4, Sc. 1:

     From this moment the very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand.

Adjective

firstling

1. Firstborn.
   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible (Authorized Version)^[2], Deuteronomy 15:19

     All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep.

References

• firstling in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• firstling in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913