Definition

1. Adjective:

   • First in order of birth: Used to describe the child who was born before any other siblings in a family.

2. Noun:

   • The offspring who came first in the order of birth: The eldest child in a family.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • She is their firstborn daughter.
  • The firstborn son traditionally inherited the estate.

• Noun:

  • Their firstborn started school this year.
  • As the firstborn, he felt a strong sense of responsibility for his younger siblings.

Advanced Usage

• "The firstborn": Often used with the definite article to refer specifically to the eldest child in a particular family or, in some cultural or historical contexts, to denote special status or rights.
  • In the story, the blessing was meant for the firstborn.
• The concept can be extended metaphorically to signify priority or primacy in non-familial contexts, though this is less common.
  • This theory is the firstborn of the new scientific movement.

Variants and Related Words

• Firstborn can function identically as both a noun and an adjective. There is no distinct noun form like "firstbornness."
• Eldest (adjective/noun): A close synonym, though "eldest" is used only for people and typically within the context of a specific group (e.g., "my eldest brother"), while "firstborn" can be more absolute.
• First child (noun phrase): A more common, neutral phrase with the same meaning as the noun "firstborn."

Synonyms

• Adjective: Eldest, oldest, first.
• Noun: Eldest, oldest child, first child.

Antonyms

• Adjective/Noun: Youngest, last-born.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Firstborn rights" or "Birthright": Refers to the traditional privileges, such as a larger inheritance, historically associated with being the firstborn, especially a son.
  • He sold his firstborn rights for a single meal.
• While not a phrasal verb, the term is central to the idiom "to kill the firstborn," a reference to a severe historical or biblical plague.

Adjective

1. first in order of birth
   • the firstborn child

Noun

1. the offspring who came first in the order of birth