of the class mentioned " as a pronoun, "a single person or thing, an individual, somebody " as a noun, "the first or lowest of the cardinal numerals single in kind, the same the first whole number, consisting of a single unit unity the symbol representing one or unity " c. "being but a single unit or individual being a single person, thing, etc. Once and for all "once as a final act" is from 1848, earlier once for all (late 15c.). 1300), and preserved the sense of "one" in the word the phrase typically appeared as one word, atones the modern meaning "immediately" is attested from 1530s. At once originally (early 13c.) meant "simultaneously," later "in one company" (c. Once upon a time as the beginning of a story is recorded from 1590s, earlier once on a time (late 14c.). Never once "never at all" is from early 13c. Meaning "in a past time" (but not necessarily just one time) is from mid-13c. this is a Pennsylvania German dialect formation. The pronunciation change to "wuns" parallels that of one.Īs an emphatic, meaning "once and for all," it is attested from c. 1300 the -ce is to retain the breathy -s- (compare hence). The spelling changed as pronunciation shifted from two syllables to one after c. The Old English form was æne, but it was replaced by, or reshaped by analogy with, the genitive singular of the early Middle English form of one and the common addition of -es to adverbs at that time. 1200, anes, basically an adverbial form of one with adverbial genitive -s. "one time only at one time in the past, formerly," c.
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