One
/wʌn/noun
The number 1; a single unit or person.
Did you know?English “one” descends from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “one” or “alone,” and its close relatives spread through Germanic languages as the basic word for singularity, not a magical term but a primal one.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*óynos
“one, single”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*ainaz
“one, single”
Old English
OE
ān
“one, single”
Middle English
ME
oon / one
“one, a single thing or person”
Modern English
English
one
“the number 1; a single unit or person”