I. ˈsiŋgəl adjective
Etymology: Middle English single, sengle, from Middle French, from Latin singulus one only, individual; akin to Latin sem- one — more at same
1.
a. : living in an unmarried state : celibate
take anything she can get in the way of a husband rather than face penury as a single woman — G.B.Shaw
b. : of or relating to celibacy
prefers the single state
2. : unattended or unaccompanied by others : solitary
he is left alone, single and unsupported, like a leafless trunk — Mirror
3.
a.
(1) : consisting of or having only one part, feature, or portion as opposed to or contrasted with double or complex
double consonants are often used in place of single consonants
binocular single vision was tested — H.G.Armstrong
(2) : consisting of one as opposed to or in contrast with many : uniform
undertaking to justify a single scale of rates for the entire country — W.M.W.Splawn
the states sought a single type of automobile plate
(3) : consisting of only one in number
a single anchor holds the boat
holds to a single ideal
— often used with not
not a single opponent of statehood appeared before the committee — Midwest Journal
has not made one single concession to any other quarter — R.T.H.Fletcher
b. : having only the normal number of petals or rays : not double — used especially of a horticultural plant
a single rose
4.
a. : of or relating to a particular member or part : individual
when nature is so careless of the single life, why should we coddle ourselves — R.L.Stevenson
each single citizen is an important part of the community
b. : of, relating to, or involving only one person
check his single judgments against a larger conception or in a perspective of the whole — Meyer Schapiro
will try his single strength against all the world
5.
a. obsolete : lacking qualification or addition : plain
b. archaic : of poor quality : weak
drank his single ale
6. : taken by itself apart from its group or constituency : distinct , separate
every single minute I kept wishing — Agnes S. Turnbull
the most important single resource — B.B.Jennings
more than any other single influence of their period — American Guide Series: Texas
the largest single agency providing assistance — Shlomo Katz
7.
a. : free from duplicity or insincerity : frank , honest , open
the willingness of the incumbent … to devote himself with a single mind to the public good — R.M.Dawson
jealousy is the flaw in the single heart — Ellen Glasgow
keep your eye single and your hands clean — Charles Kingsley
b. : exclusively concerned or attentive — usually used of an eye
lives with an eye single to his own advantage — New Republic
everything in this line has been procured … with an eye single to the taste of his numerous patrons — D.D.Martin
8. : consisting of a whole : unbroken , undivided
science and speed have made our world into a single neighborhood — Barbara Ward
the great cause was the same; the source of all the movements was elemental, natural, and single — J.L.Motley
9. : having one on each side : man to man
who now defies thee thrice to single fight — John Milton
10. : having no equal or like : unusual , singular
was that rare critic, perhaps even that unique and single critic — J.C.Ransom
single among his fellows
11. : only , sole
his single speech, that of January 31, 1861, received high praise — W.C.Ford
his single intent was to speak a word of sympathy — A.T.Quiller-Couch
the single piece of evidence
12. : having the added musical part lying uniformly above or below the cantus firmus in two-part counterpoint
13. : designed for the use of one person or family only
a single room
a single house
Synonyms:
sole , unique , lone , solitary , separate , particular : single applies to that consisting of one alone and not capable of being felt as accompanied by or joined with another
a single instance
a single currency system
Maine … is the only one adjoined by but a single sister state — American Guide Series: Maine
the lover imagines but a single joy; to be master of his love in body and soul — George Santayana
sole may intensify the notion that what is under consideration is the only one
the sole lien to the estate
the sole product of his factory
invention is almost never the sole work of a single inventor — Lewis Mumford
buy out his partners … and thus become sole stockholder — Current Biography
the sole casualty of the battle … was one cow — R.W.Hatch
unique in reference to things like manuscripts and coins designates the only one extant; in other uses it indicates that which stands alone because of its unusual character
the manuscript of Beowulf is unique
the unique character of the English conquest of Britain needs special emphasis — Kemp Malone
a unique combination of warm and relatively sunny winters, and a summer without excessively high temperatures — E.L.Ullman
lone and solitary may suggest both single and isolated
who in cells deep and lone have languished — P.B.Shelley
the ambitious Aaron Burr who played a lone hand against the field — V.L.Parrington
the solitary sin of an otherwise blameless character
a sentry kept solitary vigil — J.H.Cutler
separate stresses lack of connection with others; it indicates discreteness rather than singleness
there was no separate church, in our sense of the term, as an independent organism within the state — G.L.Dickinson
given in two separate and distinct sections of the constitution — John Marshall
particular in this sense stresses the fact of being regarded as distinct
we shall venture beyond the particular book in search of qualities that group books together — Virginia Woolf
some particular achievement of modern technology, like an electric shaver or the automobile — D.W.Brogan
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English sengle, from sengle, adjective, single
1.
a. : a claw of a hawk or falcon
b. : the tail of a deer
2.
a. : a separate individual person
the guests arrive in singles and pairs
b. : a separate individual member of a large class of similar or identical objects: as
(1) : a one-dollar bill
flashing a big bankroll, generally a wad of singles wrapped up in a hundred-dollar bill — Police Gazette
(2) : a phonograph record usually with not over five minutes of recording on each side
will release the sides both as singles and as an … LP record — Down Beat
(3) : a piece or section of sheet metal over 1/32 of an inch in thickness — used in plural
c. : a modification of the coursing order in change ringing consisting of holding one bell in place through several changes
3. singles plural : change ringing as performed on four bells
4.
a. : a continuous strand of reeled or spun silk
b. : a thread or yarn of any fiber that is twisted or thrown — often used in plural
5.
a. : a hit for one run in the game of cricket
b. : one-base hit
6. singles plural
a. : a tennis match or similar game with one player on each side
we play singles or doubles
b. : a golf match between two players — distinguished from foursome
7. : a boat or shell propelled by one oarsman
8.
a. : a performance or entertainment by only one person
offers to do singles on other shows and in some clubs — Newsweek
b. : a person who does a single
started hiring out as a single at lodge dances — Time
9. : a flower having the normal number of petals or ray florets typical of the species
10. : a room, apartment, or house designed to accommodate one person or one family
the apartment is a single
small singles of five and six rooms — Brendon Shea
III. verb
( singled ; singled ; singling -g(ə)liŋ ; singles )
Etymology: single (I)
transitive verb
1.
a. archaic : to move asunder : part , separate
b. : to separate (an animal) from a herd in order to chase or hunt separately
single out a young cow
2. obsolete : to lead aside : sequester , withdraw
I have singleed thee alone — Shakespeare
3.
a. : to select or distinguish (a person or thing) from a number or group
walks up to the line and singles every 10th man
— usually used with out
singles out for special praise the guidebook to Wells cathedral — Pyke Johnson
b. : to select or distinguish (a person or thing) for especial attention or comment — usually used with out
something about his person that singled him out from the rest of the punctual moving crowd — E.V.Lucas
had singled him out as his successor — John Buchan
all I can do is to single out a few of the basic ideas — A.W.Hummel
4. Britain : to thin (seedlings) so as to leave space between the plants
5.
a. archaic : to reduce to only one : concentrate
b. : to reduce (as a doubled rope) from a number of parts to one
6.
a. : to advance (a base runner) by a one-base hit
singled him to third base
b. : to bring about the scoring of (a run) by a one-base hit
intransitive verb
1. archaic : to separate oneself from others : proceed alone
2. : to thin out seedlings
3. : to take in all bights of mooring lines on a ship except single lines preparatory to getting under way — usually used with up
4. : to make a one-base hit
singled to center and knocked in two more runs — James Thurber
singled behind his catcher — John Drebinger
IV. adverb
: singly
V. noun
: an unmarried person and especially one young and socially active — usually used in plural
a way of life for young singles — Norman Mailer
a singles weekend