Library / English Dictionary

FIRST STEP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The first of a series of actions

Synonyms:

first step; initiative; opening; opening move

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("first step" is a kind of...):

beginning; commencement; start (the act of starting something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "first step"):

curtain raiser (any preliminary activity)

first base (the initial stage in accomplishing something)

peace initiative (opening move in negotiating a peace treaty)

Credits

 Context examples: 

The first step in phosphatidylcholine is the phosphorylation of choline to make phosphocholine, which is then activated by CTP.

(Phosphatidylcholine Biosynthesis Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

This protein plays a role in the first step of inositol-1,4,5,-trisphosphate production.

(Phosphatidylinositol 4-Kinase Beta, NCI Thesaurus)

“Where got you all these fine feathers, Jim? Sure I am that it was not your aunt who helped you to the first step towards the prize-ring.”

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The first step in testing a new treatment in humans.

(phase I trial, NCI Dictionary)

The first step in the pentose phosphate pathway is catalyzed by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase.

(Oxidative Reactions of the Pentose Phosphate Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

In GGR-NER the first step of damage recognition involves XPC-hHR23B complex together with XPE complex (in prokaryotes, uvrAB complex).

(Nucleotide Excision Repair Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

This allele, which encodes ornithine decarboxylase protein, is involved in the conversion of ornithine to putrescine in the first step of the polyamine biosynthesis pathway.

(ODC1 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

The first step in the pathway is catalyzed by a cytochrome P450 mixed function oxidase and requires both oxygen and NADPH.

(Omega-Oxidation of Fatty Acids Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

This discovery at the chemistry-biology interface is a first step toward developing new sustainable materials and practices and providing the groundwork for possible remediation approaches.

(Nanoparticles may have bigger impact on the environment than previously thought, National Science Foundation)

Intracellular calcium increases induced by thrombin activate phospholipase A2, liberating arachidonic acid, the first step in prostaglandin and thromboxane biosynthesis.

(Aspirin Inhibition of Platelet Activation Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)