The noun rēʾšîṯ (cf. Akk. rēšru[m]1) is a derivative of → ראשׁ rōʾš, “head”; it is an abstract noun with the suf. -îṯ.2 Its various meanings—“beginning,” “best,” “firstfruits”—are all extensions of the meaning “head, extremity”: “beginning” is the temporal extreme, “best” the qualitative extreme; “firstfruits” combines both notions, since they are the earliest and/or the best part of the harvest. As synonyms we find teḥillâ, “beginning”; ḥēleḇ, “fat, best portion”; and bikkûrîm,
Volume 13, Page 269