unique
/juːˈniːk/
adjective
Origin
Latin
unicus — single, sole, one of a kind
Overview
Meaning Now
- being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else.
- having no equal; unparalleled.
Literal older meaning
one and only
Language path
Latin → French → English
Earliest form
unique
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The word entered English via French from the Latin 'unicus'. In classical usage, 'unique' was an absolute term, implying that something could not be 'very unique' or 'most unique'. During the 19th century, prescriptive grammarians strongly objected to the use of gradable modifiers with 'unique', although such usage has persisted in informal English.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*oino-
“one”
- Latin
unicus
“single”
- French
unique
“sole, only”
- English
unique
“the only one”
Borrowed into English during the early 17th century.
Connections
Word parts
uni-
root
one
-que
suffix
adjectival suffix
Related across languages
French
unique
Spanish
único
unique
Italian
unico
unique
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Related to unique
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.