English word origin

Etymology of 'un

The apostrophe is not justified historically: this word preserves an original pronunciation of one without an initial /w/; see one for more.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

pron

One (a thing). · One (a person). · Him or her.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

The apostrophe is not justified historically: this word preserves an original pronunciation of one without an initial /w/; see one for more.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "one",
      "one#English"
    ],
    [
      "one",
      "one#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "pron",
      "glosses": [
        "One (a thing).",
        "One (a person).",
        "Him or her."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial",
        "West-Country"
      ],
      "recordId": "ea12487c9c847f877ee0b9a72fc975f4bf52bf35784cb37672dcc499ba8decb3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "892a6807f9ead37b1c476161001681c0d8b6499dbe11ebe1da1e6f44d5b0375d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 290991
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for 'un →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-J3Vu