Etymologically
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unus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈuː.nʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈuː.nus][1]

Forms

ūnus (feminine ūna, neuter ūnum); first/second-declension adjective (pronominal declension)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *oino-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *Hoi-no- (“one”).[2] Old Latin had oinos, found in the epitaph of a Scipio, and Proto-Italic /oi/ became /ū/.[2][1] The pronouns ūllus “any” and nūllus “no” were formed from it.[2]

Cognate with Old Irish óen (“one”), Welsh un (“one”), Ancient Greek οἰνή (oinḗ, “the one on a die”), Lithuanian víenas (“one”), Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (ains, “one”) and English one.[2][1] The Slavic forms point to a variant *H(o)iH-no-.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found in the Laws of the Twelve Tables (c. 450 BC) and in the old epitaphs of the Scipios.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Its basic sense was “one, a single”, as in Plautus' “I took the spoils with one blow”.[4] From this came “one and the same”, “one single whole”, “the only, alone” and “one above all others”, as in Ennius' line on Fabius, “one man restored the state by delaying”.[4] With a genitive it meant “one of a number”, and it also meant “a certain, someone”.[4]

In Medieval Latin it served as the indefinite article “a, an”, which it became in the Romance languages: Italian uno, French and Spanish un, Portuguese um.[5][1] English union, unique and unit come from its derivatives.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 450 BC – The Twelve Tables use it.[2][3]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a single blow and an only daughter.[4][3]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius writes of Fabius, “one man who restored the state by delaying”.[4][3]
  • Middle Ages – It is used as an indefinite article.[5][1]
  • early 15th century – English union comes from its derivative unio.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. One, a single.[4][1]
  2. (with a negative) Even one, a single.[4]
  3. One and the same, common to all.[4]
  4. in unum: together, into one.[4]
  5. Forming a single whole.[4]
  6. Only, sole; alone.[4][1]
  7. One above all others, especially.[4]
  8. (with a genitive or preposition) One (of several).[4]
  9. A certain, (as a noun) someone.[4]
  10. (Medieval Latin) A, an (indefinite article).[5][1]

Word family

  • oenigenus
  • ūniō
  • ūnanimans
  • ūnanimis
  • ūnanimus
  • undēnī
  • ūnicalamus
  • ūnicaulis
  • ūnicolor
  • ūnicornis
  • ūnicornuus
  • unicorporeus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com