ONE

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English on, an, from Old English ān; akin to Old High German ein ~, Latin unus (Old Latin oinos), Sanskrit eka Date: before 12th century being a single unit or thing , 2. being ~ in particular , being preeminently what is indicated , 3. being the same in kind or quality , b. constituting a unified entity of two or more comp~nts , being in agreement or union , 4. some 1 , being a certain individual specified by name , only 2a , II. noun Date: before 12th century see: number the number denoting unity, 3. the first in a set or series, an article of clothing of a size designated ~ , a single person or thing , a ~-dollar bill, III. pronoun Date: 13th century a certain indefinitely indicated person or thing , 2. an individual of a vaguely indicated group ; any~ at all , b. — used as a third person substitute for a first person pronoun a single instance of a specified action , Usage: Sense 2a is usually a sign of a formal style. A formal style excludes the participation of the reader or hearer; thus ~ is used where a less formal style might address the reader directly . This generic ~ has never been common in informal use in either British or American English, and people who start sentences with ~ often shift to another pronoun more natural to casual discourse . Use of ~ to replace a first-person pronoun—sense 2b—has occasionally been criticized. It is more common in British English than in American .