I. ˈōn adjective
Etymology: Middle English owen, from Old English āgen; akin to Old High German eigan own, Old Norse eiginn, Old English āgan to possess — more at owe
Date: before 12th century
1. : belonging to oneself or itself — usually used following a possessive case or possessive adjective
cooked my own dinner
2. — used to express immediate or direct kinship
an own son
an own sister
II. verb
Date: before 12th century
transitive verb
1.
a. : to have or hold as property : possess
b. : to have power or mastery over
wanted to own his own life
2. : to acknowledge to be true, valid, or as claimed : admit
own a debt
intransitive verb
: to acknowledge something to be true, valid, or as claimed — used with to or up
Synonyms: see acknowledge
• own·er ˈō-nər noun
III. pronoun, singular or plural in construction
Date: before 12th century
: one or ones belonging to oneself — used after a possessive and without a following noun
gave out books so that each of us had our own
a room of your own
•
- on one's own