Everyone
/ˈɛv.ri.wʌn/noun
Every person; all people.
Did you know?Everyone is a compound of Old English roots for “each” and “one,” showing how English can turn ordinary counting into a word that means absolute totality.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
ǣfre ǣnigān
“Not a standard single fixed ancestor form; the concept develops from combinations meaning “every one” and “each one” in English usage.”
Middle English
ME
everich one / every one
“Each individual person or thing in a group.”
16th Century
English
every one
“A phrase meaning each person separately, increasingly used in general reference.”
19th Century
English
everyone
“A fused spelling of the phrase, used as a collective pronoun for all persons.”
Modern English
English
everyone
“All people; every person.”