Individual
/ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəl/noun
A single human being or thing, considered separately from others.
Did you know?Individual comes from Latin individualis, a philosophical term built from in- plus dividuus (“divisible”), so it originally described something that could not be split apart.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
individuus
“not divisible; inseparable”
Late Latin
Latin
individualis
“individual; indivisible”
Middle French
Old French
individuel
“individual; separate”
14th–15th Century
English
individual
“a single person or thing; separate from others”
Modern English
English
individual
“a single human being or thing, considered separately from others”