single
/ˈsɪŋɡəl/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.41 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Not accompanied by anything else; one in number.
adj
Not married, and (in modern times) not dating or without a significant other.
adj
Example Sentences
- "Can you give me a single reason not to leave right now?"
- "The vase contained a single long-stemmed rose."
- "The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail. It’s therefore not surprising that most cameras mimic this arrangement."
- "The potatoes left the spoon and landed in a single big lump on the plate."
- "a single room"
- "a single combat"
Etymology
From Middle English single, sengle, from Old French sengle, saingle, sangle, from Latin singulus, a diminutive derived from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one”). Akin to Latin simplex (“simple”). See simple, and compare singular.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsɪŋɡəl/
- British English: /ˈsɪŋɡl̩/
Usage
- Obsolete
- American usage
- Informal
- British usage
- Archaic
- Intransitive verb
- Transitive verb