Where does “onetime” come from?

Onetime comes from Middle English time, Old English ān, Latin thema, and Ancient Greek θέμα, ultimately from the Greek verb τίθημι meaning to place or set.

onetime (English): Former; Occurring or used in a single instance...

Definitions

  1. Former; Occurring or used in a single instance...

Ancestry of “onetime”, step by step

onetime traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Time

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishTimeThe inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events
2Middle Englishtymethyme; time; A specific duration or period of...
3Old Frenchthym
4Latinthymumthyme; accusative singular of thymus
5Ancient Greekθύμονthyme
6Ancient GreekθύωI offer in sacrifice, slay, burn, immolate; I...
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂-