Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “one” come from?

one (Middle English) comes from Middle English onen, from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos, from Proto-Indo-European -no- — adjectival suffix.

one (Middle English): Alternative form of on; Alternative form of hone;...

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of on; Alternative form of hone;...

Ancestry of “one”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishonento unify; to join together; to gather together;...
2Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
3Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
4Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
5Proto-Norse-īna-—
6Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
7Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
8Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

Words derived from “one”

  • someone
  • anyone
  • oneself
  • onetime
  • onesided
  • noone
  • oner
  • one's
  • onesies
  • onement
  • oneth
  • onesome
  • oneship
  • oneish
  • onescore
  • one-itis
  • one-way ticket
  • one-way mirror
  • one-year-old
  • grossone
  • one-armed
  • one-legged
  • oneties
  • onesie-twosie
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →