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Added 9 October 2026

only

/ˈoʊn.li/ adjective

In Latin: ūnicus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about only at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Being the only one; single and isolated from others.
the lone doctor in the entire county
Exclusive of anyone or anything else.
she alone believed him

adverb

And nothing more.
I was merely asking
Without any others being included or involved.
was entirely to blame
With nevertheless the final result.
He arrived only to find his wife dead

Origin

From Middle English oonly, only, from Old English ānlīċ, ǣnlīċ (“only; singular; solitary”), from Proto-Germanic *ainalīkaz. Cognate with obsolete Dutch eenlijk, German ähnlich (“similar”), Old Norse álíkr, Swedish enlig (“unified”). By surface analysis, on(e) + -ly. * Regarding the different phonological development of only and one, see the note in one.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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