Where does “single” come from?
Single comes from Latin singulus, derived from Proto-Indo-European sem- meaning one, combined with the Latin diminutive suffix -culus.
single (English): Not accompanied by anything else; one in number;...
Definitions
- Not accompanied by anything else; one in number;...
Ancestry of “single”, step by step
single traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English single
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | single | — |
| 2 | Old French | sengle | single; alone; alone; in an unaccompanied way |
| 3 | Late Latin | cingula | nominative/accusative/vocative plural of cingulum |
| 4 | Latin | Cingulum | situated on a lofty hill, now Cingoli |
| 5 | Latin | -ulum | Used to form a noun of instrument or means from a... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tlom | Alternative form of *-trom |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
via Italian singolo
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | singolo | single; individual; singles match |
via Old English sengel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | sengel | — |