один

Forms

оди́н (odín) m (feminine одна́, neuter одно́)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic одинъ (odinŭ), from Proto-Slavic *edinъ (“one”).^[1][2][3] The other Slavic languages have Ukrainian один (odyn), Belarusian адзін (adzin), Old Church Slavonic ѥдинъ (jedinŭ) beside ѥдьнъ (jedĭnŭ), Bulgarian един (edin), Serbo-Croatian jedan, Czech jeden and Polish jeden, with jedyny (“only”).^[2][4][3] The shortening of ⟨-и-⟩ to a jer, which gives the forms одного (odnogo) and одна (odna), probably happened in the separate languages rather than in Proto-Slavic.^[2] The form единый is a borrowing from Church Slavonic.^[2]

Vasmer takes the word to be probably a compound of *ed- and *inъ (“one”) (see иной).^[2] The first part is an emphatic pronominal element of the Indo-European stem *e- (compare этот), the same as in Latin ecce (“look, here”) and id (“it”);^[2][4] the second goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁óy(H)nos (“one”), the source of Lithuanian vienas, Latvian viens, Old Prussian ains, Old Latin oinos (ūnus), Ancient Greek οἴνη (oínē, “the ace on a die”) and Old Irish óen.^[2][4][1] Derksen and Wiktionary reconstruct *h₁edʰ-(H)iH-no-.^[3][1] A link with Old Church Slavonic ѥда (jeda, “whether”) is less likely, according to Vasmer.^[2]

одинец, an old boar that lives apart from the herd, belongs here.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Izbornik of 1076 has „Лѹче бо ѥ ‹о›динъ нежели тысѧшти” “for one is better than a thousand”, translating Greek εἷς (heîs).^[5] Chernykh dates the word in Old Russian from the 11th century.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Already in the 12th and 13th centuries the numeral also meant “alone” („а кн҃зь одiнъ” “but the prince was alone”, in a Novgorod chronicle) and “the same” (both books copied „одиномь лѣ(т)” “in one year”, in a scribe's note of the late 12th century).^[5] In the Lay of Igor's Campaign it means “only, single”: „Одинъ братъ, одинъ свѣтъ свѣтлыи — ты, Игорю!” “my only brother, my one bright light, you, Igor!”.^[6] Sreznevsky records “first”, “the only”, “lonely” and “alike” too.^[7]

In the modern language the word is also an indefinite pronoun “a certain, some” and a limiting word “nothing but”, as in одни неприятности “nothing but trouble”.^[8]

Timeline

• 1076 – одинъ “one” in the Izbornik of 1076.^[5]
• late 12th century – одиномь лѣ(т) “in one year” in a scribe's note.^[5]
• 1229 – ѡднемь послухомь “by one witness” in a Smolensk treaty, in a copy of 1277–1279.^[5]
• 1282 – ѡдиномь ѡкомь слепъ “blind in one eye” in a Prologue.^[5]

Meanings

Numeral

1. one: the number 1.^[8][9]

Adjective

1. alone, by oneself: он живёт один “he lives alone”.^[8]
2. single, without a family: я один “I'm not married”.^[8]
3. One, united: всё слилось в одно целое.^[8]

Pronoun

1. A certain, some: в один прекрасный день “one fine day”.^[8][1]
2. The same: мы учились в одном классе “we were in the same class”.^[8]
3. Only, nothing but: на столе одни книги.^[8]
4. One of two or more being compared: один … другой “one … the other”.^[8]

Word family

• одинокий
• одиночество
• одиночка
• одинаковый
• однажды
• одиннадцать
• единица
• одинец
• один-одинёшенек

Related words

• единение
• единичный
• единоборство
• единоверец
• единогласный
• единоличный
• единомышленник
• иной
• единый
• Old East Slavic одинъ (odinŭ)
• Old Church Slavonic ѥдинъ (jedinŭ)

Usage notes

Один declines with a stem without the vowel: одного, одна, одно, одни.^[8] The name of the Norse god, О́дин, is a separate word borrowed from Old Norse Óðinn.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 122
3. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 138
4. ^ a b c d Chernykh, P. Ya. (1993), Istoriko-ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Историко-этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. 1, s.v. один
5. ^ a b c d e f Avanesov, R. I. et al. (eds.) (1988–), Slovar' drevnerusskogo jazyka (XI–XIV vv.) [Словарь древнерусского языка (XI–XIV вв.)], vols. 1–13, Moskva: Russkij jazyk / Azbukovnik, p. 6, 84
6. ^ Vinogradova, V. L. (1965–1984), Slovar'-spravočnik «Slova o polku Igoreve» [Словарь-справочник «Слова о полку Игореве»], 6 vols., Moskva / Leningrad: Nauka, p. s.v. одинъ
7. ^ Sreznevsky, I. I. (1893–1912), Materialy dlja slovarja drevne-russkago jazyka po pis'mennym pamjatnikam [Материалы для словаря древнерусского языка по письменным памятникам], 3 vols., Sankt-Peterburg: Imperatorskaja Akademija nauk, p. 2, s.v. одинъ
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. один
9. ^ Evgen'eva, A. P. (ed.) (1981–1984), Slovar' russkogo jazyka v četyrex tomax [Словарь русского языка в 4 тт.] (MAS), 2nd ed., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. один