Etymology Explorer › English

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

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishOne—
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

Words derived from “one-way”

  • one-way street
  • one-way ticket
  • one-way mirror
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →