Where does “unique” come from?

Unique comes from French unique, from Latin unicus meaning "single or alone," derived from Latin -icus and Proto-Indo-European óynos meaning "one."

unique (English): Being the only one of its kind; unequaled,...

Definitions

  1. Being the only one of its kind; unequaled,...

Ancestry of “unique”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchuniqueunique; only
2Latinūnicusonly, sole, single
3Latinūnusone, single
4Old Latinoinosone
5Proto-Italicoinoscardinal number 1 Previous: n/a Next: *duō;...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanóynosone; single

Words derived from “unique

Every word from Proto-Indo-European óynos