Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Being a single entity, unit, object, or living being.
  • adjective Characterized by unity; undivided.
  • adjective Of the same kind or quality.
  • adjective Forming a single entity of two or more components.
  • adjective Being a single member or element of a group, category, or kind.
  • adjective Being a single thing in contrast with or relation to another or others of its kind.
  • adjective Occurring or existing as something indefinite, as in time or position.
  • adjective Occurring or existing as something particular but unspecified, as in time past.
  • adjective Informal Used as an intensive.
  • adjective Being the only individual of a specified or implied kind.
  • noun The cardinal number, represented by the symbol 1, designating the first unit in a series.
  • noun A single person or thing; a unit.
  • noun A one-dollar bill.
  • pronoun An indefinitely specified individual.
  • pronoun An unspecified individual; anyone.
  • idiom (at one) In accord or unity.
  • idiom (one and all) Everyone.
  • idiom (one by one) Individually in succession.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Alone; only.
  • Being but a single unit or individual; being a single person, thing, etc., of the class mentioned; noting unity: the first or lowest of the cardinal numerals.
  • Being a single (person or thing considered apart from, singled out from, or contrasted with the others, or with another); hence, either (of two), or any single individual (of the whole number); this or that: as, from one side of the room to the other.
  • Some: used of a single thing indefinitely.
  • Single in kind; the same: as, they are all of one age.
  • Single; unmarried.
  • Certain; some: before the name of a person hitherto not mentioned, or unknown to the speaker. As thus used, one often implies social obscurity or insignificance, and thus conveys more or less contempt.
  • Alone; only: following a pronoun and equivalent to self: used reflexively.
  • [By a peculiar idiom, the adjective one was formerly used before the article the or an, or a pronoun, followed by an adjective, often in the superlative (as “one the best prince”), where now the pronoun one, followed by of and a plural noun (partitive genitive), would be used (as “one of the best princes”). Compare the idiom in “good my lord,” etc.
  • A matter of indifference; of no consequence.
  • Completely; entirely; out and out.
  • Identical with; the same as.
  • noun The first whole number, consisting of a single unit; unity.
  • noun The symbol representing one or unity (1, I, or i).
  • noun The same.
  • A single person or thing; an individual; a person; a thing; somebody; some one; something.
  • The most frequent constructions of one are — As antecedent to a relative pronoun, one who being equivalent to any person who, or to he who, she who, without distinction of gender.
  • As a substitute for a noun used shortly before, avoiding its repetition: as, here are some apples; will you take one? this portrait is a fine one.
  • After an adjective, as substitute for a noun easily supplied in thought, especially being, person, or the like.
  • It easily passes, however, from the meaning ‘any one’ into the collective sense of ‘all persons,’ ‘people generally,’ and for this can be substituted people, they, we (if the speaker does not except himself from the general statement), you (the person addressed being taken as an example of others in general), or the impersonal passive may be substituted: as, one cannot be too careful (we cannot, you cannot, they cannot, people cannot be too careful); one knows not when (it is not known when). One is sometimes virtually a substitute for the first person, employed by a speaker who does not wish to put himself prominently forward: as, one does not like to say so, but it is only too true; one tries to do one's best. One's self or oneself is the corresponding reflexive: as, one must not praise one's self.
  • [capitalized] A certain being, namely the Deity; God: the name being avoided from motives of reverence or from reserve.
  • To make one; unite into a whole; join.
  • In chem., a termination of hydrocarbons belonging to the series which has the general formula CnH2n-4: as, pentone, C5H6.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A single unit.
  • noun A symbol representing a unit, as 1, or i.
  • noun A single person or thing.
  • noun [Obs.] after one fashion; alike.
  • noun in agreement or concord. See At one, in the Vocab.
  • noun [Obs.] continually; perpetually; always.
  • noun in union; in a single whole.
  • noun singly; one at a time; one after another.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English on, from Old English ān; see oi-no- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English one, oon, on, oan, an, from Old English ān ("one"; same word as an), from Proto-Germanic *ainaz (“one”), from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“single, one”). Cognate with Scots ae, ane, wan, yin ("one"); North Frisian ån ("one"); Saterland Frisian aan ("one"); West Frisian ien ("one"); Dutch een, één ("one"); Low German en, een, ein ("one"); German ein, eins ("one"); Swedish en ("one"); Icelandic einn ("one"); Latin unus ("one") (Old Latin oinos); Russian один (odin).

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Examples

  • Be warned..one of the lead characters I assume he is one of the main characters is a half-elf named Cage Stone.

    Beginnings & Endings: January & February 2010 Jeff C 2010

  • Be warned..one of the lead characters I assume he is one of the main characters is a half-elf named Cage Stone.

    Archive 2010-02-01 Jeff C 2010

  • In one of the monthly support groups I run, one* of the stepmothers shared that she, her husband and 21 year old stepdaughter went to a family therapist for help.

    Rachelle Katz: How Stepmothers Can Find a Good Therapist 2010

  • It makes me laugh to think about Trijang Rinpoche scurrying to collect his offerings, saying to his attendant, �put this one away�and this one�and this one�.

    Gelug Conference 2010

  • It makes me laugh to think about Trijang Rinpoche scurrying to collect his offerings, saying to his attendant, �put this one away�and this one�and this one�.

    Gelug Conference 2010

  • After his remark, like after one of Cedarford's occasional anti-semitic screeds, *every single one* of Althouse's commenters without exception that bothers to respond to or comment on them, criticizes & repudiates them in disgust.

    "Ann Althouse sure has a lot of anti-semitic commenters." Ann Althouse 2009

  • There's nothing anyone can do to change the fact that she was a victim then, but there's no reason why she should be forced to be one now, only for Polanski to be punished for *one* crime he committed 30 years ago that in all likelihood he has no inclination or opportunity to repeat.

    Artistic Licence juliette 2009

  • I would like to read one book about modern birds...*just one*...where conservation is not a looming, overzealous theme.

    Life's Time Capsule: Making of Karoo Sunset Weapon of Mass Imagination 2009

  • Over lunch one of the men that was sitting at the table began to talk about Bernie Maddoff and how he has a \ "big one\" coming to him.

    Hillary Rubin: What Do You Hold On to for Security? 2009

  • Over lunch one of the men that was sitting at the table began to talk about Bernie Maddoff and how he has a \ "big one\" coming to him.

    Hillary Rubin: What Do You Hold On to for Security? 2009

Comments

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  • For CatKisses' list, lyrics that cover a good many possibilities for entering a room:

    She walks into a room and you know

    She's uncommonly rare, very unique,

    Peripatetic, poetic and chic.

    She walks into a room and you know

    From her maddening poise, effortless whirl,

    She's the special girl strolling,

    Can't help all of her qualities extolling

    Loaded with charisma is ma jauntily sauntering, ambling shambler,

    One,

    And you know you must shuffle along, join the parade,

    She's the quintessence of making the grade.

    This is whatcha call trav'ling

    Oh strut your stuff!

    Can't get enough!

    Ohh! Sigh! give her your attention

    Do I really have to mention

    She's the one!

    ("One" from the musical A Chorus Line)

    August 26, 2008

  • 2 x ½

    November 14, 2008

  • So, where's the obscure airport code for ONE, hernesheir?? A promise is a promise.

    February 26, 2013

  • I don't believe there is a 'ONE' or a 'TWO' for that matter!

    Prove me wrong!

    February 26, 2013

  • Isn't the Auckland airport at Onehunga? Chance missed, maybe.

    February 26, 2013