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Glite Dictionary
firstling

firstling

9.9
A person, animal, or thing that comes before others in a group
  • noun
  • /ˈfɜrstlɪŋ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : primogénito
  • The farmer was excited when the firstling of the season was born, a healthy calf that brought hope for a prosperous year.

Examples

  • The very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand.

    Macbeth (2015)

  • And Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock... and the fat thereof.

    The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966)

  • The very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand.

    Macbeth (2015)

  • This change he affirms in the lines, "From this moment / The firstlings of my heart shall be / The firstlings of my hand" (4.1.146-48).

    Academic text (1997)

  • This change he affirms in the lines, "From this moment / The firstlings of my heart shall be / The firstlings of my hand" (4.1.146-48).

    Academic text (1997)

  • But every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb, and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • In the wild, the firstling of a lioness usually receives special care and protection from its mother.

  • As a symbol of new beginnings, the firstling of the season is often celebrated at spring festivals.

Synonyms

first
vsfirstling
7 1.0

A person or thing that comes before others in order

is specific to the initial offspring or product rather than general early items
firstborn
vsfirstling
5 2.4

Born first among a person's children

refers more broadly to the initial offspring or product of a season or group

Surface Forms

firstling singular
firstlings plural

Morphology

firstling = first (transparent) = first + ling

Formed by the ordinal 'first' plus the diminutive/offspring suffix '-ling', yielding the meaning 'the first-born or first produced'.

Etymology

Firstling comes from first plus the little ending -ling, where -ling means 'young' or 'small', as in duckling or seedling. So a firstling is the 'first' young one or the first thing produced, which is why it means the first offspring or first product to appear.