firsthand

American  

[furst-hand] / ˈfɜrstˈhænd /

Or first-hand

adverb

1. from the first or original source.

   We heard the news of the accident firsthand from a witness.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the first or original source.

2. direct from the original source.

   firsthand knowledge of the riot.

Etymology

Origin of firsthand

First recorded in 1690–1700; first + hand

Example Sentences

“Wuthering Heights” knew what it was about, and Brontë, despite her lack of firsthand experience in love, had the scripts of normative femininity dead to rights with the book’s relentless conflation of love and torment.

From Salon

Swirling dust, burning trees, thick smoke and drifting embers heighten the danger, while firsthand accounts layered emotional tension.

From Los Angeles Times

"But he's obviously gone through his own life of suffering and experience and things he's seen firsthand," he said.

From BBC

But Golding, a World War II veteran, had seen firsthand the horrors of D-Day.

From The Wall Street Journal

These communities are already experiencing climate impacts firsthand, and their knowledge is more directly relevant to present challenges than lessons drawn from ancient history.

From Science Daily