single

single · adjective, noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*sem-“one”
2. Latin · derived fromsingulus
3. Old French · derived fromsengle
4. Middle English · inherited fromsingle
5. English todaysingle

From Middle English single, sengle, from Old French sengle, saingle, sangle, from Latin singulus, a diminutive derived from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one”). Akin to Latin simplex (“simple”). See simple, and compare singular.

Single · proper noun²

1. Old English · derived fromsengel“brushwood; burnt clearing”
2. English todaySingle

From Old English sengel (“brushwood; burnt clearing”), a topographic surname for someone who lived by a brushwood.

Words from the same roots