individual

B1 Topic:People & Society

US /ɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒʊəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #3391

Meanings

1

noun
A single person, considered separately from a group.

He is an unusual individual.
2

adj
Single; separate from others of the same kind.

Please mark each individual page with a number.
3

adj
Intended for or relating to one particular person.

Each guest received an individual serving of cake.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · single; separate from... singlecase-by-case

3 adj · intended for or relating to... single personal

Word family

Forms individuals

Derived forms bioindividualextraindividualindividualiseindividualism individualistic individualityindividualizationindividualize individuallyindividualnessinduhvidualinterindividual

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

particular individual
one specific person considered separately from others

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Individual entered English in the later Middle Ages from a Latin formation meaning “not divisible.” It is historically related to divide, from Latin dividere, “to force apart” or “remove.”

Etymology

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Medieval Latin indīviduālis, from Latin indīviduum (“an indivisible thing”), neuter of indīviduus (“indivisible, undivided”), from in + dīviduus (“divisible”), from dīvidō (“divide”).

indīviduālis la-med indīviduum Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society

External links

# individual

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒʊəl/
**Frequency rank:** 3391

## Meanings
1. A single person, considered separately from a group.
2. Single; separate from others of the same kind.
3. Intended for or relating to one particular person.

## Examples
- He is an unusual individual.
- Please mark each individual page with a number.
- Each guest received an individual serving of cake.

## Derived Forms
- bioindividual
- extraindividual
- individualise
- individualism
- individualistic
- individuality
- individualization
- individualize
- individually
- individualness
- induhvidual
- interindividual

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: indīviduālis
- Root: indīviduum

## Etymology
PIE word *dwóh₁ From Medieval Latin indīviduālis, from Latin indīviduum (“an indivisible thing”), neuter of indīviduus (“indivisible, undivided”), from in + dīviduus (“divisible”), from dīvidō (“divide”).

## AI Etymology
Individual PIE word *dwóh₁ From Medieval Latin indīviduālis, from Latin indīviduum (“an indivisible thing”), neuter of indīviduus (“indivisible, undivided”), from in + dīviduus (“divisible”), from dīvidō (“divide”). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- People & Society

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