Only
/ˈoʊn.li/noun
Alone; single; no more than; exclusively.
Did you know?“Only” is a descendant of Old English *ānlic*, literally “one-like,” so the modern word for exclusivity was originally a word about being singular in nature.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*óynos
“one”
Old English
OE
ānlic
“one-like, singular, unique”
Middle English
ME
onli / only
“single, solitary; also merely”
Early Modern English
English
only
“alone, merely, exclusively”
Modern English
English
only
“solely; no more than”