firstly
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Coined between 1525 and 1535 from first + -ly.[1]
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /ˈfɜɹstli/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Adverb[edit]
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, New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Press, →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[edit]
- 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" and is often recommended for the formal enumeration of arguments.[6]
Synonyms[edit]
- 1stly, first, first of all, first up; see also Thesaurus:firstly
Translations[edit]
in the first place
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See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ “firstly”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- ^ International English Usage
- ^ Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003, →ISBN
- ^ “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)
- ^ “Writing in a Formal Style for Academic Purposes”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)[1], 2008 October 21 (last accessed), archived from the original on 30 April 2008