Origin of the term "first-class object"

[John J. Lee]

Erik Max Francis <max at alcyone.com> writes:

> Hung Jung Lu wrote:
> 
> > Does anybody know where this term comes from?
> > 
> > "First-class object" means "something passable as an argument in a
> > function call", but I fail to see the connection with "object class"
> > or with "first-class airplane ticket".
> 
> It doesn't have any connection with the former (since the term long
> predates object orientation, so far as I know).  It does have a
> connection to the latter, in that something going first class has all
> the privileges and properties owed to it as a complete and total thing. 
[...]

Ben is closer to the mark in terms of etymology, I think -- though
maybe "first-class citizen" in turn derives from "first-class ticket"?


John