Idioms for one
Origin of one
before 900; Middle English
oon, Old English
ān; cognate with Dutch
een, German
ein, Gothic
ains, Latin
ūnus (OL
oinos); akin to Greek
oínē ace on a die
usage note for one
One as an indefinite pronoun meaning “any person indefinitely, anyone” is more formal than
you, which is also used as an indefinite pronoun with the same sense:
One (or
you )
should avoid misconceptions. One (or
you )
can correct this fault in three ways. When the construction requires that the pronoun be repeated, either
one or
he or
he or she is used;
he or
he or she is the more common in the United States:
Wherever one looks, he (or
he or she )
finds evidence of pollution. In speech or informal writing, a form of
they sometimes occurs:
Can one read this without having their emotions stirred?
In constructions of the type one of those who (or that or which ), the antecedent of who is considered to be the plural noun or pronoun, correctly followed by a plural verb: He is one of those people who work for the government. Yet the feeling that one is the antecedent is so strong that a singular verb is commonly found in all types of writing: one of those people who works for the government. When one is preceded by only in such a construction, the singular verb is always used: the only one of her sons who visits her in the hospital.
The substitution of one for I, a typically British use, is usually regarded as an affectation in the United States. See also he1, they.
In constructions of the type one of those who (or that or which ), the antecedent of who is considered to be the plural noun or pronoun, correctly followed by a plural verb: He is one of those people who work for the government. Yet the feeling that one is the antecedent is so strong that a singular verb is commonly found in all types of writing: one of those people who works for the government. When one is preceded by only in such a construction, the singular verb is always used: the only one of her sons who visits her in the hospital.
The substitution of one for I, a typically British use, is usually regarded as an affectation in the United States. See also he1, they.
Words nearby one
British Dictionary definitions for at one
one
/ (wʌn) /
determiner
pronoun
noun
Other words from one
Related prefixes: mono-, uni- Related adjective: singleWord Origin for one
Old English
ān, related to Old French
ān, ēn, Old High German
ein, Old Norse
einn, Latin
unus, Greek
oinē ace
Idioms and Phrases with at one (1 of 2)
at one
In agreement, in harmony, as in John and Pat were at one on every subject except her cat, which made him sneeze, or Springtime always makes me feel at one with nature. [1300s]
Idioms and Phrases with at one (2 of 2)
one