first fruits

Earliest seasonal produce

First fruits refers to the earliest agricultural produce of a season, traditionally offered as a religious sacrifice or tithe to honor God before the rest of the harvest was consumed.

The term extends figuratively to mean the first results or benefits of any endeavor: The research grant's first fruits appeared in three published papers.

In religious contexts, it can also designate people who are among the earliest converts to a faith.

biblical

tithe

Tenth for clergy

offeringSomething presented or given
sacrificeGiving up something precious
altarSacred ritual table

temple · oblation · Leviticus · consecration · tabernacle · sanctuary · priest · harvest festival · Shavuot · Pentecost

harvest

crop

Cultivated agricultural plants

yieldProduce or relinquish
reapingCutting crops for collection
produceMake or manufacture

bounty · gathering · orchard · vineyard · picking · agriculture · cultivation · ripening · season · abundance

beginning

genesis

Point of creation

inceptionFounding moment
dawnDay's first glow
outsetInitial point of something

origin · birth · emergence · early returns · preview · foretaste · prelude · promise · potential · early signs

reward

blessing

Prayer seeking divine favor

abundanceAmple supply, overflowing
prosperityGood fortune, success
dividendCorporate profit share

return · gain · benefit · gratitude · appreciation · acknowledgment · tribute · thanksgiving · dedication · devotion

precedence

firstborn

First child born

premierFirst in importance
foremostHighest in importance
initialName's opening letter

earliest · primary · pioneering · vanguard · trailblazer · groundbreaker · predecessor · precursor · harbinger · forerunner

Categories

harvestreaping, fall harvest, wheat sheaf, reaper, reap
farm traditionsbarn raising, barn dances, harvest festival, county fairs, farmers markets
Harvest Festivalsharvest fair, harvest party, harvest moon, harvest queen, harvest parade
firstsinitial, beginning, start, opening, original
Biblical Ritualsburnt offerings, altar offering, drink offering, thank offering, temple worship
church offeringsoffering plate, collection basket, weekly offering, church collection, offertory

Opposites

harvest sequence/timing

first fruitsgleanings

Collected scraps or insights

remainder · leftovers · aftermath · leavings · stubble

spiritual/religious offering priority

first fruitsleftovers

Uneaten food kept afterward

scraps · dregs · remainder · afterthought

early results vs. mature outcomes

first fruitsend product

Final manufactured result

culmination · final outcome · completion · aftermath · diminishing returns

Family

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Rated G