first papers

plural noun

, Informal.

1. an official declaration of intention filed by a resident alien desiring to become a U.S. citizen: not required by law after 1952.

Word History and Origins

Origin of first papers¹

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

Example Sentences

“This is one of the first papers to show really substantial shifts in community composition in bumblebees due to climate, but also in insects more broadly,” co-author Jeremy Hemberger, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, told Davis Enterprises.

From Salon

At the start of the pandemic, Shane Crotty, of the La Jolla Institute of Immunology, published some of the first papers looking at the immune response to COVID.

From Slate

Her first papers suggesting ultrasound’s potential for offering an effective, less invasive form of fetal screening — available to women of any age — were published in 1985.

From New York Times

Another summons the ghost of the historic 1942 “First Papers of Surrealism” exhibition, organized by Marcel Duchamp where Hirshfield was represented by “Girl With Pigeons,” one of his greatest paintings.

From New York Times

The year after Hirshfield’s triumph in the “First Papers” exhibition, Janis organized an exhibition of 30 paintings — the artist’s oeuvre to date — at the Modern.

From New York Times