English

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 with de Quincey, who erroneously believed that "firstly" was a neologism, 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

• 1stly
• first
• first of all
• first up

See also

• at first
• in the first place

Translations

References

1. ↑ “firstly” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
2. ↑ International English Usage
3. ↑ Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003, ISBN 0226104036
4. ↑ “firstly” in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.
5. ↑ "Firstly" in the Oxford English Dictionary, online edition (subscription required)
6. ↑ Writing in a Formal Style for Academic Purposes