first and foremost

first and foremost

1. (set phrase) Primarily; most importantly.
   • 1845 October – 1846 June​, Ellis Bell [pseudonym; Emily Brontë], Wuthering Heights: A Novel, volume IX, London: Thomas Cautley Newby, publisher, […], published December 1847, OCLC 156123328:

     "There are many things to be considered before that question can be answered properly," I said, sententiously. "First and foremost, do you love Mr. Edgar?"

• above all; see also Thesaurus:above all