▪ I. only, a.
(ˈəʊnlɪ)
Forms: 1 ǽnl{iacu}c, ánl{iacu}c, 3–4 onlich, -lych, (superl. onlukest), 4 oonlich, onelich, -lych, -lyk; north. anli, anly, aneli, 4–5 anely; 4–5 oonli, 4–6 oonly, onlie, 4– only, (5 ounly, ondly, ondely, wonly, wonlych, 5–7 onlye, 5–8 onely, 6 onelye, 6–7 onelie).
[a. OE. ánl{iacu}c unique, solitary, only, a later form of ǽnl{iacu}c unique, singular, excellent, f. an, one + -l{iacu}c, -ly1.]
1. One, without companions or society; solitary, lonely. Now only dial.
| a 1000 Ags. Ps. (Spelman) xxiv. 17 ᵹemildsa me, forðan ænlic and ðearfa ic eom. c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Th.) ci. 5 Ic spearuwan.. ᵹelice ᵹewearð, anlicum fuᵹele. a 1225 Ancr. R. 90 Ancre hus, þet schulde beon onlukest stude of alle. Ibid. 152 So ouh ancre, hire one in onliche stude..chirmen & cheateren euer hire bonen. a 1300 E.E. Psalter xxiv. 16 Aneli and pouer am I. 13.. Cursor M. 3075 (Cott.) An anli liuelade þar þai ledde. c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 110 He wolde in comunalte do þis dede and not þus oonli in desert. ? a 1500 Chester Pl. ii. 129 Hit is not good man onely to be. 1582 Stanyhurst æneis iii. (Arb.) 91 His oane light, That stood in his lowring front gloommish malleted onlye. 1642 Rogers Naaman 9 Onely Denus and Demaris a poore only man and only woman, being excepted. 1828 Craven Gloss. (ed. 2), Onely, Onerly, lonely, retired. ‘This is an onely platt to live in’. a 1865 E. Waugh ‘Come whoam to thi childer’, Mon, aw'm one-ly when theaw artn't theer. |
2. a. One (or, by extension, two or more), of which there exist no more, or no others, of the kind.
Usually preceded by the or a poss. pron. or case.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke ix. 38 He is min anlica sunu. c 1160 Hatton G. ibid., He ys min anliche sune. c 1375 Cursor M. 26549 (Fairf.) In his sone crist ihesu, our aller anly [Cott. anlepi] lorde. 1526 Tindale Luke vii. 12 The only sonne of his mother, and she was a widowe. 1559 Bk. Com. Prayer Morn. Prayer, The onely ruler of princes. 1584 D. Powel Lloyd's Cambria 3 The onelie occasion he tooke. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Aaron iii, Christ is my onely head, My alone onely heart & breast. 1654 tr. Martini's Conq. China 189 The onely Southern Port..to which Boats may have access. 1703 Rowe Ulyss. ii. i. 801 Hear a Wretches only Pray'r. 1854 A. Jameson Bk. Th. (1877) 347 Eve..is the only undraped figure which is allowable in sacred art. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 338 These two passages are the only ones in which Plato makes mention of himself. |
b. In later use, in reference to relationship, also preceded by an, and used with a plural; as an only child, an only brother, only children; so only-childish adj., characteristic or suggestive of an only child; only-childishness, only-childism, the fact or state of being an only child.
| 1670 Dryden 2nd Pt. Conq. Granada iii. ii, What cannot only sons with parents do! 1768 Goldsm. Good-n. Man i. i, An only son, sir, might expect more indulgence. 1821 Byron Diary in Note to Juan i. xxxvii, My wife..and myself are..only children. 1879 M. E. Braddon Clov. Foot v, This only son of the Vicar's was a thorn in his side. 1927 Times 29 Dec. 7/3 They might come to speak, not of drink, but of ‘only-childism’, as the greatest curse of this country. 1928 Daily Tel. 11 Sept. 11/6 Dr. Gillespie alluded to ‘Only childishness’... It had been suggested that only children were peculiarly liable to become neurotic. 1938 E. Bowen Death of Heart iii. ii. 341 A face at a window for no reason is a face that should have a thumb in its mouth: there is something only-childish about it. 1949 ― Heat of Day iii. 57 Anything that savoured of only-childishness. |
† c. absol. = only one, only ones; in OE. = darling.
| a 1000 Ags. Ps. (Spelman) xxi. 19 Of handa hundes ða ænlican mine [= unicam meam]. 1609 Bible (Douay) Song Sol. vi. 8 She is the only to her mother, elect to her that bare her. 1678 Dryden All for Love Pref. b, It is the only of the kind without Episode, or Underplot. 1693 ― Juvenal Ded. (1697) 11 Suppose that Homer and Virgil were the only of their Species. |
3. Single, one. † any only = any one (obs.); one only, one single, only one, one and no more, one and no other.
| 1485 Caxton Paris & V. 34 Wythout leuing of ony onely thynge or word. 1490 ― Eneydos ix. 36 Wyth one onely stroke thou haste wylled to termyne and fynysshe thy labours mortall. 1543 Grafton Contn. Harding 476 Anye onely kyndenes so sodenly contracted in an house. 1571 Digges Pantom. iii. xi. R iv, I shall for breuitie sake set foorth one onely rule generall. 1604 E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies iii. xx. 183 Vpon all that coast it blowes continually with one onely winde. c 1630 Risdon Surv. Devon (1810) 13 This country hath one only deanery. 1832 F. Trollope Dom. Manners Amer. i. (1839) 2 One only object rears itself above the eddying waters: this is the mast of a vessel long since wrecked. 1850 Gladstone Glean. (1879) II. 95 In the Consalvo, a dying youth..abandoned by all but the object of his love, entreats of her the parting gift of an only kiss. |
† 4. a. Said of that of which, by itself, without anything else, something is predicated; (the thing in question) acting alone; mere, sole. Obs.
| c 1400 Cato's Mor. 131 in Cursor M., Sin þou art doutande..nedderres for venim, Mare mai þou be agast of anli man vn-wrast, and warre þe for him. a 1425 Cursor M. 8439 (Trin.) Bi grace of only god of heuen Soone he coude þe artes seuen. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 277/1 Our only feyth shalle suffyse us. ? c 1523 More Let. to Wolsey in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. I. 206 The onely redyng therof held hym above twoo howres. 1544 T. Phaer Regim. Lyfe (1560) X v b, The onely odour of quicksilver killeth lice. a 1619 M. Fotherby Atheom. i. xv. §2 (1622) 155 All this fell vpon them, for the onely impietie of their Prince. [1854–6 Patmore Angel in Ho. ii. ii. i, For the sake of only love,..he does approve, His wife entirely.] |
† b. Placed between a demonstrative or possessive adj. or poss. case and its n., or before a n. followed by an of-phrase: referring to the n. as thus qualified. Obs.
| c 1449 Pecock Repr. iii. v. 306 Endewid into his oonli sufficience. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxix. (Percy Soc.) 139, I must abyde..Of lyfe or death your onely judgement. 1558 in Vicary's Anat. (1888) App. 186 To the onlye vse and behoufe of the said Thomas Vycary. a 1563 Bale Sel. Wks. (Parker Soc.) 201 At the Priest's only provocation was it. 1577 Holinshed Chron., Hist. Scot. 343 At the charges & only expenses of these .vi. abbeyes. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. xxx. 118 Maintained at the Kings onely charge. 1653 Holcroft Procopius, Pers. Wars i. 3 These onely Hunnes have white bodies. 1709 Addison Tatler No. 117 ¶4 She was turned into a Man, and by that only Means avoided the Danger. 1741 Middleton Cicero I. Pref. 35 The power was retained; with this onely difference, that [etc.]. |
5. Unique in quality, character, rank, etc.; peerless, preëminent. In OE. in form ǽnl{iacu}c. In mod.Eng. from 16th c., only as hyperbolic use of 2, = ‘the only one to be counted, reckoned, or considered’; with superl. onliest (arch. or dial.). onlie begetter [f. begetter 2, quot. 1606], the sole originator.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxv. §6 He hæfde an swiþe ænlic wif. 1552 R. Ascham in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 12 If Lerning, Counsell, Nobilitie, Courte, and Cambridge, shold have bene all punisshed at ones by taking away..soch a general & onely man as Mr. Cheeke is. 1581 Mulcaster Positions (1887) 30 It was either the onely, or the onelyest, principle in learning, to learne to read Latin. 1602 Shakes. Ham. iii. ii. 131 Your onely Iigge-maker. 1651 Lilly Chas. I (1774) 224 She had been the only stately and magnificent woman of Europe. 1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. Boccalini's Advts. fr. Parnass. ii. lxxv. (1674) 227 When she subscribed her name..[she] added (as she had good reason to do) the only Unfortunate. 1691 Wood Ath. Oxon. II. 486 He was..accounted..the onliest person to be consulted about the affairs. 1778 Foote Trip Calais i. Wks. 1799 II. 344 It is the onliest method to keep her to one's self. 1866 G. Macdonald Ann. Q. Neighb. x. (1878) 173 The only man in the world ceased to be the friend of the only woman in the world. 1890 ‘Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer (1891) 375 The kindest, wisest, ‘onliest’ thing, under the circumstances. 1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 1136/2 Comic and humorous songs... Ma Onliest One. 1929 H. W. Odum in A. Dundes Mother Wit (1973) 190 Onliest way could git him. 1937 N. Marsh Vintage Murder vii. 81 The Firm..was founded and built up by Mr Meyer... He was..the onlie begetter. 1969 Australasian Post 19 June 40/3 Isadora Duncan was..the onlie begetter of all the trends in ‘free dance’ which are now so familiar to us. 1971 Black World Oct. 62/1 The onliest time I had to say something bout it was when he was playin checkers on the stoop one time and he commenst to hummin. 1972 Daily Tel. 30 Mar. 6/7 Stalin's onlie begetter and mentor in murder—Lenin. 1973 Times Lit. Suppl. 2 Mar. 228/1 The enigmatic personality of [Citizen] Kane's onlie begetter. 1975 Times 14 July 13/3 William Robson, Professor Emeritus of Public Administration, University of London, and ‘the onlie begetter’ of The Political Quarterly. |
▪ II. only, adv., conj. (prep.)
(ˈəʊnlɪ)
Forms: α. 3–5 onliche, 4 onelych, -lyk, onlike, 4–5 -lyche, oon-, 5 won-. β. 4 anli, aneli, -ly; 4–5 oonli, 4–6 -ly; 5–7 onely, 5– only, (5 ond(e)ly).
[ME. (south. and south. midl.) ônliche, f. ônlich, only a., with advb. -e (see -ly2); in more northern dialects the adv. was in form indistinguishable from the adj., which from c 1400 became the fact also in Standard Engl. In OE. the adv. is cited only in the form ǽnl{iacu}ce splendidly, elegantly; cf. only a.]
A. adv.
1. As a single or solitary thing or fact; no one or nothing more or else than; nothing but; alone; solely, merely, exclusively. Only may limit the statement to a single or defined person, thing, or number (a) as distinguished from more, or (b) as opposed to any other. a. Preceding the word or phrase which it limits.
| α 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1513 Þe king louede is wif..so vaste Þat al is herte onliche on hire on he caste. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 2370 He ne askede non oþer þyng, Bot onlike his doughter ȝyng. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1749 Heȝest of alle oþer, saf onelych tweyne. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 317, I speke onliche as of the dede, Of which I nevere was coupable. c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 882 Bot duden wonlyche after þe devellys rede. a 1450 Myrc 656 Þer nys no mon..Þat may þat do but onlyche he. |
| β c 1375 Cursor M. 13737 (Fairf.) Anli he wiþ-outen synne. c 1386 Chaucer Melib. ¶503 (Petw.) For þat apperteneþ & longeþ oonly [other texts al oonly] to the Iuges. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xviii. xix. (1495) 779 The camell hath not teeth in eyther Iowe but oonli bynethe. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 366/1 Only, solomodo. 1447 O. Bokenham Seyntys (Roxb.) 53 Al this thou dost that ondly in the I schuld trust lorde. 1535 Coverdale Tobit x. 5 All y⊇ thinges that we haue are onely in the. 1545 in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) I. 213 Discharged of all rents..except oonly a redd rose to be given to yem. a 1548 Hall Chron., Edw. IV 240 b, All these faire wordes, wer onely delaies to protracte tyme. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. iv. i. 432, I wil haue nothing else but onely this. 1611 Beaum. & Fl. Knt. Burn. Pestle ii. ii, Now fortune, if thou be'st not only ill, Shew me thy better face. 1627 E. F. Hist. Edw. II (1680) 96 'Tis onely one. 1651 Baxter Inf. Bapt. 5 God doth not reveal his truth onely or chiefly to the learned. 1751 Johnson Rambler No. 156 ¶14 To distinguish..that which is established because it is right, from that which is right only because it is established. 1805 T. Harral Scenes of Life I. 194 It is true, I have been only twice. 1845 M. Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 17 One of those devoted..attachments, of which only a mother or nurse is thought capable. 1899 Literary Guide 1 Oct. 146/2 Certain doctrines were imparted only to initiates. |
b. Following the word or phrase which it limits.
| 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 1338 Bot þe world prayses nan, bot þa anly Þat til alle worldes welthes er happy. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 310 To haue crist oonliche heere patroun. c 1485 E.E. Misc. (Warton Club) 25 On thi God wonly set thin herte. 1535 Coverdale Ecclus. xxiv. 34, I haue not laboured for my self onely. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Matt. vi. 47 Loke upon the best thynges, eyther onely or chiefly. 1655 Marquis of Worcester Cent. Inv. in Dircks Life (1865) 416 To raise Water with two Buckets onely. 1763 J. Brown Poetry & Mus. vi. 104 What belongs to Nature only, Nature only can complete. 1838 Lytton Leila i. iii, In one only of the casements. 1876 Mozley Univ. Serm. iv. (1877) 94 His human character is not benevolence only. |
† Only between a numeral and n. is now obs.
| c 1555 Harpsfield Divorce Hen. VIII (Camden) 59 Their second counsell of Toledo..being..of eight only bishops. 1624 Bedell Lett. vi. 92 In two onely leaues of his booke, a certaine..Scholler did discouer thirtie..falsifications. 1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. Boccalini's Advts. fr. Parnass. ii. xiv. (1674) 152 Amidst as many..Silver Balls as there are Sciences, three only Golden Balls are placed. |
c. Only was formerly often placed away from the word or words which it limited; this is still frequent in speech where the stress and pauses prevent ambiguity, but is now avoided by perspicuous writers.
| 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 333 b/1 Luke is only with me. a 1540 Cromwell in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. II. 165 Unto the whiche God I have onlye commyttyd my sowlle. 1598 R. Grenewey Tacitus, Ann. iii. iv. (1622) 69 Vipsania his mother died, onely of all Agrippas children, of a naturall death. 1660–1 Marvell Corr. Wks. 1872–5 II. 51, I onely write this word to let you know that [etc.]. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. ii. 786 When Beasts were only slain for Sacrifice. 1703 Rowe Fair Penit. ii. ii, Brutes and boys are only taught with blows. 1721 St. German's Doctor & Stud. 28 The eldest son shall only inherit his father. 1833 Tennyson Lady Clara Vere de Vere vii, 'Tis only noble to be good. 1875 Jowett Plato I. 282, I only asked the question from habit. |
d. not only{ddd}but, but also.
| 1340 Ayenb. 265 Naȝt onlyche beuore gode ac be-uore alle men. c 1375 Cursor M. 338 (Fairf.) He wroȝt noȝt anly wit his hande bot sayde wit worde. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 340 Noght onliche of the wommen tho, Bot of the chaste men also. a 1425 Cursor M. 11069 (Trin.) Not only of ierusalem bourȝe But also al þe cuntre þourȝe. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VI 104 b, Not onely now..but also after. 1589–1875 [see but, C. 24 b]. |
† 2. By or of itself alone, without anything else.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. iii. xix. (1495) 66 By smellynge oonly he knowyth bytwene herbes good and venymous. a 1425 Cursor M. 3574 (Trin.) Whenne þat [a mon] bicomeþ olde,..Only to lyue trauail him þink. a 1548 Hall Chron., Edw. IV 232 b, He was restored to his kyngdome and made kyng onely by his ayde. a 1555 Philpot Exam. & Writ. (Parker Soc.) 66 Master doctor hath affirmed that these words..spoken by the priest, only do make the Sacrament. 1624 Heywood Gunaik. i. 30 The Phrygian pipe was onely sufficient to yeeld musicke to her sacrifices, for that was no sooner heard but they fell into a divine rapture resembling madnesse. 1760 Warton Idler No. 96 ¶1 His eye was so piercing, that..he could blunt the weapons of his enemies only by looking at them. 1801 Strutt Sports & Past. i. i. 10 The see of Norwich, only, was in possession of no less than thirteen parks. |
† 3. Singularly, uniquely, specially, pre-eminently.
| c 1000 ælfric Colloq. in Wr.-Wülcker 103 ænlice, eleganter. 13.. Chron. R. Glouc. (Rolls) App. G. 58 Ac þe oþere were strengore & Richore oniliche [v. rr. vnliche, onlyche]. c 1394 P. Pl. Crede 534 Afterward anoþer onliche he blissede, Þe meke of þe myddel-erde. 1554 Ridley Wks. (Parker Soc.) 370 In them whom they only esteemed for their priests and sages. 1611 B. Jonson Catiline v. iv, That renown'd good man That did so onely embrace his countrey! |
4. Idiomatic uses. a. The sense ‘no more than’ often passes into ‘as much as’; = just adv. 5 c. (Cf. Ger. nur.)
| 1838 Mrs. Stowe in Life (1889) 90 Only think how long it is since I have written to you! 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. ix. II. 410 [They] would willingly join to effect it, if only they could obtain the help of such a force..as might secure those who should rise in arms. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 193 He is coming..if you will only wait. 1888 Sunday Talk June 345/1 If I could only give you one-half of the stories..I would make the best article I have yet written. |
b. only not = all but, little else than.
| 1779–81 Johnson L.P., Smith Wks. II. 473, I was only not a boy. 1834 Napier Penins. War xiv. vi. (Rtldg.) II. 275 The fortresses were..only not abandoned to the enemy. 1862 Neale Hymn, ‘Safe home’ i, Torn sails, provision short, And only not a wreck. |
c. Not before, not till. only just, at a time no farther gone than the immediate past: see just adv. 4. (Only may precede or follow the word or phrase expressing time.)
| 1676 Glanvill Ess. Pref. a iij, I have now only cast it into the form of a Discourse. 1791 Washington Lett. Writ. 1892 XII. 9 Your..letter..came to my hands the day before yesterday only. 1846 Trench Mirac. Introd. (1862) 57 The flower dropped off only as the fruit was being formed. 1898 Westm. Gaz. 23 Feb. 5/3 A woman..yesterday killed herself. She was only married on Saturday. Mod. I have only just received it; it was posted only yesterday. |
† d. only but, but only: (a) = only, merely; (b) except only. Obs.
| 1478 Paston Lett. III. 232 Paid..for the tythynges, ondely but in corne whan it was inned in to the barn, xxiiij li. 1605 Chapman All Fooles Wks. 1873 I. 180 Now heere all are pleas'd, Onelie but Cornelio. 1678 Dryden All for Love ii. i, You but only beg'd a last farewel. 1711 Light to Blind in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 127 The first dessigne was onely but to show the rebells, that the..garrison was watchful. |
e. only too (true, thankful, etc.): see too. f. all only, al only, an emphatic variant of only in various senses, at length treated as one word: see alonely.
B. conjunctive adv., conj. (prep.)
1. The only thing to be added being; with this restriction, drawback, or exception only; but (adversative); on the other hand, on the contrary.
| 1382 Wyclif 1 Cor. vii. 39 Be she weddid to whom she wole, oonly [Gr. µόνον] in the Lord. ― Gal. v. 13 Britheren ȝe ben clepid in to fredom: oonli ȝeue ȝe not fredom in to occasioun of fleisch. 1579 Fenton Guicciard. (1618) 3 Onely the man for his integritie and soundnesse was such a one, as [etc.]. 1598 Shakes. Merry W. ii. ii. 242 Spend all I haue, onely giue me so much of your time in enchange of it, as [etc.]. 1625 Purchas Pilgrims II. 1117 They know not how to..refine the same [sugar-canes], onely they eat them raw. 1667 Marvell Corr. Wks. 1872–5 II. 81 Onely Colonel Gilby will tell you all when he comes down. 1796 Burney Mem. Metastasio I. 64 No matter; only will there be room for us all? 1877 Spurgeon Serm. XXIII. 179 Many a man would have become wise, only he thought he was so already. Mod. The flowers are lovely; only, they have no scent. |
b. only that: with the exception that, except that, were it not that, but for the fact that.
| 1706 S. Clarke Let. to Dodwell (1711) 28 That there is no real difference..only that that which the Platonists call Mind [νοῦς]..the Sacred Writers call [πνεῦµα] Spirit. 1771 T. Hull Sir W. Harrington (1797) II. 157 Only that I know you don't love bustle, I should wish you here. 1804 E. de Acton Tale without Title III. 241 Something like a castle in miniature, only that its windows were modern. 1845 M. J. Higgins Ess. (1875) 27, I would see and get it done at once, only that I am in doubt as to the best means. |
2. Except. only for, except for, but for, were it not for.
| 1540–1 Elyot Image Gov. (1549) 40 Only by violence they coulde not be brought to theyr shippes. 1664 Pepys Diary 22 Apr., My wife and I, in their coach to Hide Parke, where..pleasant it was, only for the dust. 1668 Ibid. 22 Aug., It is true..that our whole Office will be turned out, only me. 1737 [S. Berington] G. di Lucca's Mem. 295 The Project might easily take, only for the horrid Wickedness of the Fact. 1747 Mem. Nutrebian Crt. I. 38 Ridiculing all forms of worship..only their own. 1811 Ora & Juliet I. 30 Only for my tea, I should have had the head-ache. 1887 N. & Q. 7th Ser. III. 501 For many years the following notice was painted up at Bolton railway station: ‘Do not cross the line only by the bridge’. 1888 Poor Nellie 245 Only for William, you would have died with her, George! 1899 T. Watts-Dunton Aylwin vii. 238 I've been a⁓listenin' to a v'ice as nobody can't hear on'y me. 1914 Joyce Dubliners 44 And say what he would do to her only for her dead mother's sake. 1922 E. O'Neill Anna Christie ii. 140 And only for me,..we'd be being scoffed by the fishes this minute! 1934 S. O'Casey Pound on Demand in Windfalls 195 Who else could he be, only Mr. Adams? 1939 New Yorker 13 May 23/1 Her boy friend was working his way thru the Illinois U. and didn't get to Chi only two or three times a year. 1961 W. G. Pollard Physicist & Christian (1962) 57 Yet are not we of the mid-twentieth century..just as bad off as they—only in a different way? |
b. In a clause: Except that, were it not that, but that.
| a 1766 F. Sheridan Sidney Bidulph IV. 187 And only my uncle Bidulph is fonder of my sister than he is of me, my vanity would carry me away for want of a little ballast. a 1774 Goldsm. tr. Scarron's Com. Romance (1775) II. 162 At length their passion became so violent, that only there was no bloodshed, Pyramus and Thisbe were nothing to them for affection and sincerity. 1802 H. Martin Helen of Glenross II. 226 Only he is very melancholy, he would be agreeable. 1901 M. Franklin My Brilliant Career iii. 16 Only I promised to stick to the missus a while I'd scoot tomorrer. 1914 Joyce Dubliners 146 Only I'm an old man now I'd change his tune for him. |
C. Comb. only-born, only-created, only-gotten; also only-begotten.
| c 1410 Hoccleve Mother of God 115 By his sone oonly-geten [v.r. only gottin]. 1608 Willet Hexapla Exod. 126 His first borne, which also may bee his only borne. 1833 J. H. Newman Arians ii. v. (1876) 227 The Arians..explain the word only-begotten in the sense of only-created. |
▪ III. only, n.
(ˈəʊnlɪ)
[f. the adj.]
1. Used absol. for ‘the only chance’.
| 1878 J. H. Beadle Western Wilds xxvi. 417, I seed it was my first, last and only, and I sot old Sally at a gallop for that pint. |
2. An only child.
| 1931 J. Cannan High Table ii. 17 But poor little Theodore was ‘an only’, said Lady Oliver. 1963 Guardian 22 Feb. 8/7 The ‘only’, on the other hand..envies her friends with brothers and sisters. 1975 C. Storr Chinese Egg xviii. 121 If you're an only, you're sort of a target. Everything your parents think or feel has to be worked out on you. |
3. In redupl. form. The state of being alone. nonce-wd.
| 1946 J. B. Priestley Bright Day vi. 199 Left on my only-only today. Wife's had to dash over to Leeds. |