Where does “only” come from?

only (Middle English) comes 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.

only (Middle English): alone, apart

Definitions

  1. alone, apart

Ancestry of “only”, step by step

only traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English on

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishonon, in; on; Alternative form of oon
2Old Englishonon, in, at, among; from
3Proto-West Germanicanaon
4Proto-Germanic*an—
5Proto-Germanicanaon, at; on, onto; ana
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

via Old English ānlīċ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishānlīċonly
2Old Englishānlonely; entirely alone, solitary, single; one
3Proto-West Germanicainone
4Proto-Germanicainazone; some
5Proto-Indo-Europeanóynosone; single
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →Every word from Proto-Germanic ana →Every word from Proto-Germanic *an →