Etymology

onefold

O1N1E1F4O1L1D2

Today it means: Constituting or being indicative of a single aspect or theme. Full definition →

Middle English onfold ← Old English ānfeald ← Proto-West Germanic *ainfald
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The story

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*ainafalþaz“onefold, simple”
  2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*ainfald
  3. Old English · inherited fromānfeald“single, simple”
  4. Middle English · inherited fromonfold
  5. English todayonefold

From Middle English onfold, anfald (“single, simple, honest, onefold”), from Old English ānfeald (“single, simple”, literally “onefold”), from Proto-West Germanic *ainfald, from Proto-Germanic *ainafalþaz (“onefold, simple”), equivalent to one + -fold. Cognate with Dutch eenvoud (“simplicity, easiness”), German Einfalt (“simplicity”) and einfach (“simple”), Icelandic einfaldur (“simple”), Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍆𐌰𐌻𐌸𐍃 (ainfalþs, “simple”). More at one, -fold.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.