only
pronunciation
How to pronounce only in British English:
UK [ˈəʊnli]
How to pronounce only in American English:
US [ˈoʊnli]
-
- Adjective:
- being the only one; single and isolated from others
- exclusive of anyone or anything else
-
- Adverb:
- and nothing more
- without any others being included or involved
- with nevertheless the final result
- in the final outcome
- except that
- never except when
- as recently as
Word Origin
- only
- only: [OE] Only is a compound formed in the Old English period from ān, ancestor of modern English one, and -lic ‘-ly’. It originally meant ‘solitary’ as well as ‘unique’, but this sense has been taken over by the related lonely. Only preserves the early diphthongal pronunciation which its source one has lost.=> lonely, one
- only (adj.)
- Old English ænlic, anlic "only, unique, solitary," literally "one-like," from an "one" (see one) + -lic "-like" (see -ly (1)). Use as an adverb and conjunction developed in Middle English. Distinction of only and alone (now usually in reference to emotional states) is unusual; in many languages the same word serves for both. German also has a distinction in allein/einzig. Phrase only-begotten (mid-15c.) is biblical, translating Latin unigenitus, Greek monogenes. The Old English form was ancenned.
Example
- 1. Only you can do that .
- 2. Industrial production dipped only briefly .
- 3. Wearing sunglasses only at midday .
- 4. They were emergency measures only .
- 5. Now there are only five .