Where does “First” come from?

First (English) comes from Middle English first, from Old English fyrst, from Proto-Germanic frestaz, from Proto-Indo-European pres-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

First (English): Preceding all others of a series or kind; the ordinal of one; earliest

Definitions

  1. Preceding all others of a series or kind; the ordinal of one; earliest

Ancestry of “First”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfirstfirst
2Old EnglishfyrstAlternative form of fierst; Alternative form of...
3Proto-Germanicfrestaz—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpres-to press
5Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “First”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European pres- →