Single

See also: single

English

Etymology

From Old English sengel (“brushwood; burnt clearing”), a topographic surname for someone who lived by a brushwood.

Proper noun

Single (plural Singles)

1. A surname from Old English.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Single is the 41886^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 519 individuals. Single is most common among White (88.44%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Single”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 3, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN.

German

Etymology

In all senses from English single. The pronunciation is without /ɡ/ because German allows the cluster /ŋɡ/ only before full vowels, not before /ə/. The feminine gender of the musical sense is probably after Schallplatte f.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪŋəl/, [ˈsɪŋl̩]
• IPA^(key): /ˈzɪŋəl/ (dated)

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Single f (genitive Single, plural Singles)

1. (music) single (45rpm vinyl record)
2. (music) single (song from an album, released individually)

Declension

Declension of Single [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Single	die	Singles
genitive	einer	der	Single	der	Singles
dative	einer	der	Single	den	Singles
accusative	eine	die	Single	die	Singles

Noun

Single m (strong, genitive Singles or Single, plural Singles or Single)

1. single; singleton (someone who is not involved in a stable romantic relationship)

Usage notes

• Not used in German to mean “unmarried”. For that, see ledig, unverheiratet (and nominalisations thereof). Single also generally implies an openness for romantic or sexual relations, so it would not commonly be used of someone living in celibacy, or of a widow(er) in their 80s. The usual word for “living alone without a family” is alleinstehend.
• The normal plural is Singles. Chiefly colloquially it may also be unchanged Single. Note, however, that the dative plural den Singlen, while unproblematic in speech, is awkward in writing (compare the same in the word Bachelor).

Declension

Declension of Single [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Single	die	Singles, Single
genitive	eines	des	Singles, Single	der	Singles, Single
dative	einem	dem	Single	den	Singles, Singlen
accusative	einen	den	Single	die	Singles, Single

Noun

Single n (strong, genitive Singles or Single, plural Singles)

1. (tennis) single (game with one player on each side)

Declension

Declension of Single [neuter, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Single	die	Singles
genitive	eines	des	Singles, Single	der	Singles
dative	einem	dem	Single	den	Singles
accusative	ein	das	Single	die	Singles

Further reading

• “Single” in Duden online
• “Single” in Duden online
• “Single” in Duden online
• “Single” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache