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Glite Dictionary
first symptom

first symptom

3 3.3
The earliest sign that shows you have an illness
  • noun
translation icon : primer síntoma
  • The doctor explained that fatigue and persistent cough are often the first symptoms of the disease.
  • first symptoms appear
  • first symptom often
  • first symptom of a disease

The cough was, you know, the, the first symptom, but you thought maybe the cough will just go away.

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Examples

  • If you don't want your own defenses to kill you in an autoimmune attack, you must take the antiviral drugs at the first symptoms.

    Blog text (29)

  • It's one of the first symptoms.

    On the Beach (1959)

  • The problem is the first symptoms of autism.

    Blog text (7)

  • The cough was, you know, the, the first symptom, but you thought maybe the cough will just go away.

    MIgardener

  • Second, when the first symptom disappeared, I suddenly started having very painful muscle spasms in my chest that eventually radiated to my neck.

    Blog text (27)

  • Diarrhea was the most commonly reported first symptom (50.6 percent); vomiting was reported as the first symptom in 42.1 percent of the reports.

    Academic text (2006)

  • After a few weeks, I noticed the first symptoms of my allergy, including sneezing and itchy eyes.

  • The first symptoms of the flu usually include a high fever and body aches.

Synonyms

prodrome
vsfirst symptom
  • Specialized
1 9.9

An early sign that a disease or attack is about to start

is the very first observable sign rather than a general early indication
seme
vsfirst symptom
  • Archaic
9.9

A sign that shows a disease or health problem

is specifically about the earliest observable sign, not any sign indicating presence

How Early

first symptom
3 3.3
prodrome
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Surface Forms

first symptom singular
first symptoms plural

Morphology

first + symptom

The meaning 'the earliest observable sign of a medical condition' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'first' (preceding in time) with 'symptom' (an indication of illness). This compositional structure is common across languages and follows ordinary modifier-noun semantics, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

First symptom comes from what doctors see when an illness begins: the first small sign, a symptom, that shows something is wrong. So, it means the 'earliest sign' of a medical condition.