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first among equals. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
first among equals, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
first among equals in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
Calque of Latin primus inter pares.
Pronunciation
Noun
first among equals (plural firsts among equals)
- (idiomatic) A person or position that is formally of equal rank to others in a group, but nonetheless takes a leading role within that group.
The Orthodox consider the bishop of Rome to have always been merely a first among equals.
2003, H. Y. Sharada Prasad, The Book I Won't be Writing and Other Essays, page 40:I wonder whether Margaret Thatcher, Harold Macmillan, Winston Churchill, Lloyd George, Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone (going back in time) thought of themselves as mere firsts among equals.
Translations
leading a group of equals