Where does “one-way” come from?

one-way (English) comes from English One, from Middle English on, from Old English on, from Proto-West Germanic ana, from Proto-Germanic *an, from Proto-Germanic ana, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- — on, onto.

one-way (English): Allowing movement in only one direction;...

Definitions

  1. Allowing movement in only one direction;...

Ancestry of “one-way”, step by step

one-way traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English One

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishOneThe number represented by the Arabic numeral 1; the numerical value equal to that cardinal number
2Middle Englishonon, in; on; Alternative form of oon
3Old Englishonon, in, at, among; from
4Proto-West Germanicanaon
5Proto-Germanic*an
6Proto-Germanicanaon, at; on, onto; ana
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

via English Way

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishWayChristianity
2Middle Englishway
3Old Englishweġway; path; way, road, path
4Proto-West Germanicwegway, road
5Proto-Germanicwēgazwave; sea
6Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵʰ-to bring; to transport

Words derived from “one-way

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en-Every word from Proto-Germanic anaEvery word from Proto-Germanic *an