first reading

American  

noun

Parliamentary Procedure.

1. the reading of a bill when it is first introduced in a legislative body.

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first reading British  

noun

1. the introduction of a bill in a legislative assembly

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Etymology

Origin of first reading

First recorded in 1695–1705

Example Sentences

Irving is the writer who made me want to be a writer, and I have read and cherished his books since first reading this masterpiece as a young man.

From Los Angeles Times

Especially if decades, not just years, have passed between one’s first reading and the next; when the reader can’t help but wonder: Is this even the same book?

From Los Angeles Times

I devoured it on first reading but I just can’t surrender it to the shelf yet.

From The Wall Street Journal

The first reading L’Belle-Tividad gave was to a group of three of her friends, more than three years after her awakening.

From Los Angeles Times

In May, France's lower house of parliament approved a right-to-die bill in a first reading.

From Barron's