only
/ˈoʊnli/
adjective/adverb
Origin
Old English
an — one
Overview
Meaning Now
- being the single one of its kind; sole
- with no other exception; exclusively
Literal older meaning
one-like
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
anlic
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The word evolved from the Old English 'anlic', meaning 'one-like'. Over centuries, the 'a' shifted to 'o' due to phonetic changes in English, eventually losing the sense of 'like' and becoming the standard word for uniqueness or exclusivity.
Evolution
- Old English
anlic
“one-like, sole”
Compound of 'an' (one) + '-lic' (like).
- Middle English
oonly
“sole, unique”
Shifted pronunciation from 'an' to 'on'.
Connections
Word parts
one
root
the number 1
-ly
suffix
like
Related across languages
German
einzig
only/unique
Dutch
enig
only/some
Related words
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.