single

pronunciation

How to pronounce single in British English: UK [ˈsɪŋɡl] word uk audio image

How to pronounce single in American English: US [ˈsɪŋɡl] word us audio image

Noun:

a base hit on which the batter stops safely at first base
the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
Verb:

hit a one-base hit
Adjective:

existing alone or consisting of one entity or part or aspect or individual
used of flowers having usually only one row or whorl of petals
not married or related to the unmarried state
characteristic of or meant for a single person or thing
having uniform application
not divided among or brought to bear on more than one object or objective
involved two individuals
individual and distinct

Word Origin

single: single: [14] Single comes via Old French sengle or single from Latin singulus. This was formed from sim-, the stem of simplus ‘single’ (which came from the same Indo-European base that produced English same and similar), together with the diminutive suffix *-go and a further element *-lo. Singlet ‘vest’ [18] was coined on the model of doublet, in allusion to its being an unlined garment, made from a ‘single’ layer of material.=> same, similar, simple

single (adj.): early 14c., "unmarried," from Old French sengle, sangle "alone, unaccompanied; simple, unadorned," from Latin singulus "one, one to each, individual, separate" (usually in plural singuli "one by one"), from sim- (stem of simplus; see simple) + diminutive suffix. Meaning "consisting of one unit, individual, unaccompanied by others" is from late 14c. Meaning "undivided" is from 1580s. Single-parent (adj.) is attested from 1966.

single (n.): c. 1400, "unmarried person," mid-15c., "a person alone, an individual," from single (adj.). Given various technical meanings from 16c. Sports sense is attested from 1851 (cricket), 1858 (baseball). Of single things from 1640s. Meaning "one-dollar bill" is from 1936. Meaning "phonograph record with one song on each side" is from 1949. Meaning "unmarried swinger" is from 1964; singles bar attested from 1969. An earlier modern word for "unmarried or unattached person" is singleton (1937).

single (v.): "to separate from the herd" (originally in deer-hunting, often with forth or out), 1570s, from single (adj.). Baseball sense of "to make a one-base hit" is from 1899 (from the noun meaning "one-base hit," attested from 1858). Related: Singled; singling.