Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “one” come from?

One comes from Middle English on, Old English ān, Proto-Germanic andi, and Proto-Indo-European en, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root ḱeh₃i-.

one (English): The number represented by the Arabic numeral 1;...

Definitions

  1. The number represented by the Arabic numeral 1;...

Ancestry of “one”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishoneAlternative form of on; Alternative form of hone;...
2Middle Englishonento unify; to join together; to gather together;...
3Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
4Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
5Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
6Proto-Norse-īna-—
7Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
8Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
9Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

Words derived from “one”

  • someone
  • anyone
  • oneself
  • onetime
  • onesided
  • noone
  • oner
  • one's
  • onesies
  • onement
  • oneth
  • onesome
  • oneship
  • oneish
  • onescore
  • one-itis
  • one-way ticket
  • one-way mirror
  • one-year-old
  • grossone
  • one-armed
  • one-legged
  • oneties
  • onesie-twosie
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →