once

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See also: önce

English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
English numbers (edit)
10
 ←  0 1 2  → [a], [b] 10  → 
    Cardinal: one
    Ordinal: first
    Latinate ordinal: primary
    Reverse order ordinal: last
    Latinate reverse order ordinal: ultimate
    Adverbial: one time, once
    Multiplier: onefold
    Latinate multiplier: single
    Distributive: singly
    Group collective: onesome
    Multipart collective: singlet
    Greek or Latinate collective: monad
    Greek collective prefix: mono-
    Latinate collective prefix: uni-
    Fractional: whole
    Elemental: singlet
    Greek prefix: proto-
    Number of musicians: solo
    Number of years: year

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English ones, from Old English ānes, a remodelling (after ān (one)) of ǣnes, itself an extension of ǣne (once) with the genitival suffix -es. Compare Old Saxon ēnes (once), Old High German eines, einēst (once), modern German einst (once). More at one (including regarding the development of the pronunciation) and -s.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • enPR: wŭn(t)s, IPA(key): /wʌn(t)s/
  • (UK) IPA(key): /wʌn(t)s/, /wɒn(t)s/
  • (US) IPA(key): /wʌn(t)s/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌns

Adverb[edit]

once (not comparable)

  1. (frequency) One and only one time.
    I have only once eaten pizza.
    Synonym: one time
  2. (temporal location) Formerly; during some period in the past.
    He was once the most handsome man around.
    I once had a bicycle just like that one.
    Wang notes that flowers have rooted and grow in the area once covered with ice.
    • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., [], →OCLC:
      Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill. Ikey the blacksmith had forged us a spearhead after a sketch from a picture of a Greek warrior; and a rake-handle served as a shaft.
    • 1944, Miles Burton, chapter 5, in The Three Corpse Trick:
      The hovel stood in the centre of what had once been a vegetable garden, but was now a patch of rank weeds. Surrounding this, almost like a zareba, was an irregular ring of gorse and brambles, an unclaimed vestige of the original common.
    • 2013 June 14, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama's once hip brand is now tainted”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 18:
      Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.
  3. (chiefly obsolete) At any time; ever.
    • 1612–1626, [Joseph Hall], “(please specify the page)”, in [Contemplations vpon the Principall Passages of the Holy Storie], volumes (please specify |volume=II, V, or VI), London, →OCLC:
      The wisdom of God thought fit to acquaint David with that court which we shall once govern.
    If the facts once became known, we'd be in trouble.
  4. (obsolete) One day, someday.
  5. (mathematics) Multiplied by one: indicating that a number is multiplied by one.
    Once three is three.
Synonyms[edit]
Coordinate terms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
See also[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

once

  1. As soon as; when; after.
    We'll get a move on once we find the damn car keys!
    Once you have obtained the elven bow, return to the troll bridge and trade it for the sleeping potion.
    Once he is married, he will be able to claim the inheritance.
    • 2011 September 27, Alistair Magowan, “Bayern Munich 2 - 0 Man City”, in BBC Sport[1]:
      Not only were Jupp Heynckes' team pacey in attack but they were relentless in their pursuit of the ball once they had lost it, and as the game wore on they merely increased their dominance as City wilted in the Allianz Arena.
    • 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:
      In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.
Translations[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

once (plural onces)

  1. Obsolete form of ounce.

Anagrams[edit]

Asturian[edit]

Asturian cardinal numbers
 <  10 11 12  > 
    Cardinal : once
    Ordinal : decimoprimeru

Etymology[edit]

From Latin ūndecim.

Numeral[edit]

once (indeclinable)

  1. eleven

Derived terms[edit]

French[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Inherited from Latin uncia.

Noun[edit]

once f (plural onces)

  1. ounce (avoirdupois ounce)
  2. (figuratively, by extension) a little bit
Descendants[edit]
  • Turkish: ons

Etymology 2[edit]

From a rebracketing of Old French lonce which became l'once (la + once), itself from Vulgar Latin *luncea, from Latin lynx, ultimately from Ancient Greek λύγξ (lúnx), or possibly borrowed from Italian lonza.

Noun[edit]

once f (plural onces)

  1. snow leopard

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Friulian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin uncia.

Noun[edit]

once f (plural oncis)

  1. ounce

Galician[edit]

Galician numbers (edit)
 ←  10 11 12  → [a], [b]
    Cardinal (standard): once
    Cardinal (reintegrationist): onze
    Ordinal: undécimo, décimo primeiro
    Ordinal abbreviation: 11º
    Fractional (standard): onceavo
    Fractional (reintegrationist): onze avos

Etymology[edit]

From Old Galician-Portuguese onze, from Latin ūndecim.

Pronunciation[edit]

Numeral[edit]

once (indeclinable)

  1. eleven

Italian[edit]

Noun[edit]

once f

  1. plural of oncia

Anagrams[edit]

Middle English[edit]

Adverb[edit]

once

  1. Alternative form of ones

Spanish[edit]

Spanish numbers (edit)
 ←  10 11 12  → 
    Cardinal: once
    Ordinal: undécimo, decimoprimero, décimo primero
    Apocopated ordinal: decimoprimer, décimo primer
    Ordinal abbreviation: 11.º
    Multiplier: undécuplo
    Fractional: onceavo, undécimo

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): (Spain) /ˈonθe/ [ˈõn̟.θe]
  • IPA(key): (Latin America) /ˈonse/ [ˈõn.se]
  • Audio (Colombia):(file)
  • (Spain) Rhymes: -onθe
  • (Latin America) Rhymes: -onse
  • Syllabification: on‧ce

Etymology 1[edit]

Inherited from Old Spanish onze, ondze, from Latin ūndecim.

Numeral[edit]

once

  1. eleven
Derived terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Snacks were typically taken at 11 am.

Noun[edit]

once f pl (plural only)

  1. (Latin America) elevenses, snack (bread with tea or coffee)
    tomar las onceto have elevenses

Further reading[edit]