■ ordinal number
1》 coming before all others in time or order; earliest; 1st.
↘before doing something else.
2》 foremost in position, rank, or importance.
↘ Brit. a place in the top grade in an examination for a degree.
3》 for the ~ time.
↘ informal something never previously occurring or done.
4》 with a specified part or person in a leading position: the car plunged nose ~ into the river.
5》 Music performing the highest or chief of two or more parts for the same instrument or voice.
Phrases
at ~ at the beginning.
~ and foremost more than anything else.
~ and last fundamentally.
~ of all before doing anything else.
↘most importantly.
~ off informal as a ~ point; ~ly.
~ past the post winning a race by being the ~ to reach the finishing line.
↘ Brit. denoting an electoral system in which a candidate or party is selected by achievement of a simple majority.
~ thing early in the morning; before anything else.
~ up informal ~ of all.
in the ~ place as the ~ consideration or point.
↘to begin with.
of the ~ order (or magnitude ) excellent or considerable of its kind.
Origin
OE fyr(e)st ; of Gmc origin.