firstly

English

Etymology

Coined between 1525 and 1535 from first +‎ -ly.[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfɜɹstli/

Adverb

firstly (not comparable)

  1. (formal) In the first place; before anything else; first.
    • 1992, Rudolf M. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, 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]
    • "Firstly" may appear more formal than "first" and is often recommended for the formal enumeration of arguments.[6]

Synonyms

Translations

See also

References

  1. ↑ “firstly” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
  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. ↑ Writing in a Formal Style for Academic Purposes
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.