In American football, the first of four attempts a team gets to advance the ball 10 yards to earn a new set of downs. Successfully gaining 10 yards resets the down count and grants four new attempts.
From 'first' (Old English 'fyrst') and 'down' which evolved from rugby terminology in the 1870s, originally meaning when a player was 'down' or tackled. The numbered down system was formalized in American football by 1912.
The first-down system is uniquely American and fundamentally changed football strategy compared to rugby - it created the concept of 'field position' and made every play a calculated risk-reward decision that coaches obsess over!
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