single

A2 Topic:Numbers & Quantity

US /ˈsɪŋɡəl/ UK /ˈsɪŋɡl̩/ See IPA manual

adj verb Freq #841

Meanings

1

adj
Only one; not more than one.

Can you give me a single reason not to leave right now?
2

adj
Not married, and usually not in a romantic relationship.

She has been single since the divorce.
3

adj
Made or intended for the use of one person.

I booked a single room at the hotel.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · only one; not more than one. lone sole solitary

2 adj · not married, and usually... unmarriedunpartnered

Word family

Forms singledsinglenesssinglessingling

Derived forms binglecassinglenonsinglepermasingleringlesemi-singlesingle-actingsingle-blindsingle-breastedsingle-cellsingle-celledsingle-celling

Related forms baseball centuplecentupletcouple cricket decaddecetdecuple decuplet double doublet duo

Common collocations

Etymology

From Middle English single, sengle, from Old French sengle, saingle, sangle, from Latin singulus, a diminutive derived from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one”). Akin to Latin simplex (“simple”). See simple, and compare singular.

*sem- Proto-Indo-European single Middle English sengle Old French singulus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Numbers & Quantity

# single

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** adj, verb
**IPA (US):** ˈsɪŋɡəl
**IPA (UK):** ˈsɪŋɡl̩
**Frequency rank:** 841

## Meanings
1. Only one; not more than one.
2. Not married, and usually not in a romantic relationship.
3. Made or intended for the use of one person.

## Examples
- Can you give me a single reason not to leave right now?
- She has been single since the divorce.
- I booked a single room at the hotel.

## Derived Forms
- bingle
- cassingle
- nonsingle
- permasingle
- ringle
- semi-single
- single-acting
- single-blind
- single-breasted
- single-cell
- single-celled
- single-celling

## Related Forms
- baseball
- centuple
- centuplet
- couple
- cricket
- decad
- decet
- decuple
- decuplet
- double
- doublet
- duo

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *sem-
- Root: single
- Root: sengle
- Root: singulus

## Etymology
From Middle English single, sengle, from Old French sengle, saingle, sangle, from Latin singulus, a diminutive derived from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one”). Akin to Latin simplex (“simple”). See simple, and compare singular.

## AI Etymology
Single is from Middle English single, sengle, from Old French sengle, saingle, sangle, from Latin singulus, a diminutive derived from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one”). Akin to Latin simplex (“simple”). See simple, and compare singular. Important forms in the word's history include Proto-Indo-European *sem-, Middle English single, Old French sengle, Latin singulus. In current use it includes senses such as Only one; not more than one and Not married, and usually not in a romantic relationship.

## Topics
- Numbers & Quantity

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single

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Common collocations

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