zunächst

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German

Etymology

From Middle High German ze næhste (close, directly next). Equivalent to zu +‎ nächst. The sense “first” developed because from the perspective of the start the next thing to do is the first thing.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /tsuˈnɛːçst/ (standard; used naturally in western Germany and Switzerland)
  • IPA(key): /-ˈneːçst/ (overall more common; particularly northern and eastern regions)
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: zu‧nächst

Adverb

zunächst

  1. first, first of all, in the first place, to begin with, initially
    Synonyms: zuerst, als erstes, erstmal
    Um Brot zu backen, braucht man zunächst etwas Mehl.
    To bake bread, first you need some flour.
    • 1915 October, Franz Kafka, “Die Verwandlung [The Metamorphosis]”, in Die Weißen Blätter , volume 2, number 10, Verlag der Weißen Bücher, page 1180:
      Zunächst wollte er ruhig und ungestört aufstehen, sich anziehen und vor allem frühstücken, und dann erst das Weitere überlegen, denn, das merkte er wohl, im Bett würde er mit dem Nachdenken zu keinem vernünftigen Ende kommen.
      To begin with, he wanted to get up calmly and undisturbed, get dressed and, above all, have breakfast, and only then think about everything else, because, as he realized very well, in bed he would not come to a sensible conclusion with the thinking.
  2. for now, for the time being
    Synonyms: vorerst, erstmal, fürs erste, bis auf Weiteres
    Die Ursache des Unfalls bleibt zunächst unklar.
    The cause of the accident remains unclear for now.
  3. (archaic) next, then, secondly (immediately following the first thing)
    Synonyms: dann, sodann, danach
    Er nahm zuerst den Mantel, zunächst den Hut, schließlich den Schirm.
    First he took his coat, then his hat, finally his umbrella.

Usage notes

  • As the sense “next” is archaic, the word should be considered a false friend in contemporary German.

Further reading

  • zunächst” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • zunächst” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • zunächst” in OpenThesaurus.de