one

Meanings

1. 1
   num

   The number 1; the smallest counting number.

   I have one brother and two sisters.

2. 2
   pron

   A single person or thing already mentioned or from a group.

   I tried on several jackets and bought the blue one.

3. 3
   pron

   Any person; people in general.

   One should always be polite to guests.

4. 4
   adj

   Single; forming a single whole.

   Three chemicals combined into one solution.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

One goes back to Old English and shares an ancient root with Latin unus. Through this root it is historically linked with unique, unity, union, and unison.

PIE word *h₁óynos From Middle English oon, on, oan, an, from Old English ān (“one”), from Proto-West Germanic *ain, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz (“one”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos (“single, one”). Doublet of an. Cognate with Scots ae, ane, wan, yin (“one”); North Frisian ån (“one”); Saterland Frisian aan (“one”); West Frisian ien (“one”); Dutch een, één (“one”); German Low German een; German ein, eins (“one”); Danish en (“one”); Swedish en (“one”); Norwegian Nynorsk ein (“one”), Icelandic einn (“one”); Latin ūnus (“one”) (Old Latin oinos); Russian оди́н (odín), Spanish uno. Doublet of a…

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External links

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