one
/wʌn/
numeral / determiner / pronoun
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*oi-no- — one, unique
Overview
Meaning Now
- The lowest cardinal number; the number of which the unit is composed.
- A single person or thing; a person of a particular type.
- Used to refer to an unspecified person or the speaker as representing people in general.
Literal older meaning
single, unity
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
ān
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The word traces back to the PIE root *oi- meaning 'one' or 'unique'. This same root gave rise to 'alone' (all + one) and 'only' (one + ly).
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*oi-no-
“one”
- Proto-Germanic
*ainaz
“one, alone”
- Old English
ān
“one, solitary”
- Middle English
oon
“one”
pronunciation shift began here
- Modern English
one
“one”
developed the /w/ onset in early modern period
Connections
Word parts
one
root
single unit
Related across languages
German
ein
one
Latin
unus
one
Greek
oinos
one
Related words
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Related to one
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.