single

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle English sengle, from Old French sengle, from Latin singulus a diminutive from the root in simplex (“simple”). See simple, and compare singular.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪŋɡl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪŋɡəl

Adjective

single (not comparable)

1. Not accompanied by anything else; one in number.
   • 2013 July-August, Fenella Saunders, “Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture”, American Scientist: 

     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.

   Can you give me a single reason not to leave right now?   The vase contained a single long-stemmed rose.

2. Not divided in parts.

   The potatoes left the spoon and landed in a single big lump on the plate.

3. Designed for the use of only one.

   a single room

4. Performed by one person, or one on each side.

   a single combat

   • Milton

     These shifts refuted, answer thy appellant, […] / Who now defies thee thrice to single fight.

5. Not married, and also not dating.

   Forms often ask if a person is single, married, divorced, or widowed. In this context, a person who is dating someone but who has never married puts "single".

   Josh put down that he was a single male on the dating website.

   • Shakespeare

     Grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness.

   • Dryden

     Single chose to live, and shunned to wed.

6. (botany) Having only one rank or row of petals.
7. (obsolete) Simple and honest; sincere, without deceit.
   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Luke XI:

     Therefore, when thyne eye is single: then is all thy boddy full off light. Butt if thyne eye be evyll: then shall all thy body be full of darknes?

   • Shakespeare

     I speak it with a single heart.

8. Uncompounded; pure; unmixed.
   • I. Watts

     Simple ideas are opposed to complex, and single to compound.

9. (obsolete) Simple; foolish; weak; silly.
   • Beaumont and Fletcher

     He utters such single matter in so infantly a voice.

Synonyms

• (not accompanied by anything else): lone, sole
• (not divided in parts): unbroken, undivided, uniform
• (not married): unmarried

Antonyms

• (single): divorced, married, widowed

Derived terms

Derived terms

single-acting single bed single-blind/single blind single bond single-cell single-celled single-click single combat single cream single crochet single cross single crystal single currency single data rate singledom single-elimination single entry single-eyed single file single flower single-fold single-foot single grave single-handed single-handedly single-hearted singlehood single-horse single-issue single leaf single-line single knot single malt single market single-minded single money

single mother singleness single-o single option single parent single-phase single-phasing singleplayer single-ply roof single pneumonia single-point single-point urban interchange single point of failure single precision single prop single quote singler single scull single-sex single shell single shot single-shot single sourcing single-space single-spaced single-spacing single standard single star system singlestick single stitch single supplement singlet single tax singleton single track single union agreement single-valued single-wide single-word

Related terms

• singly

Translations

not accompanied by anything else

• Czech: samotný, jednotlivý (cs)
• Finnish: yksi (fi), yksittäinen
• Friulian: sengul
• German: einzeln (de), einzig (de), allein (de)
• Italian: singolo (it)
• Latin: singulus
• Persian: تک (fa) (tak), یکدونه (yekdune) (colloquial)
• Portuguese: único (pt), particular (pt), solitário (pt)

• Romanian: singur (ro)
• Russian: один (ru) m (odín), одна (ru) f (odná), единственный (ru) (jedínstvennyj)
• Santali: ᱮᱠᱚ (eka)
• Serbo-Croatian: sam
• Spanish: solo (es), único (es)
• Swedish: enda (sv), enstaka (sv)
• Tok Pisin: wanpela, wanpis

not divided in parts

• Catalan: simple (ca)
• Finnish: yksi (fi), jakamaton
• German: einzig (de), einheitlich (de), vereint (de), gemeinsam (de)
• Portuguese: inteiro (pt), unitário (pt)
• Romanian: singur (ro), unit (ro), unitar (ro) m, n, întreg (ro), nedivizat (ro) m, n

• Russian: единый (ru) (jedínyj), целый (ru) (célyj)
• Spanish: solo (es), único (es)
• Swedish: enhetlig (sv), odelad (sv)
• Tok Pisin: wanpis

designed for the use of only one

• Finnish: yhden hengen
• German: einzel
• Greek: μονόκλινο (el) (monóklino)
• Irish: singil
• Persian: یک‌نفره (yek-nafare)

• Portuguese: particular (pt)
• Romanian: separat (ro) m, n, individual (ro), singular (ro)
• Russian: одинарный (ru) (odinárnyj), для одного (dlja odnogó) (read: dlja odnovó)
• Swedish: enkel (sv)

not married nor dating

• Arabic: أعزب ('á`zab), غير متزوج m (ghayr muzáwwij)
• Armenian: չամուսնացած (čʿamusnacʿac), ամուրի (hy) (amuri)
• Catalan: (Algherese) escàpol
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 獨身, 独身 (zh) (dúshēn), 單身, 单身 (zh) (dānshēn), 未婚 (zh) (wèihūn)

• Czech: svobodný (cs)
• Dutch: alleenstaand (nl)
• Finnish: naimaton (fi), (colloquial) sinkku (fi)
• French: célibataire (fr)
• German: ledig (de), unverheiratet (de), alleinstehend (de), single, solo (de)
• Greek: ανύπαντρος (el) (anýpantros)
• Hindi: अविवाहित (avivāhit)
• Irish: singil
• Italian: single (it), (donna) nubile (it), (uomo) celibe (it)
• Japanese: 独身 (どくしん, dokushin), 未婚 (ja) (みこん, mikon), 独り (ja) (ひとり, hitori)
• Low German: leddig, ledig
• Luxembourgish: onbestuet
• Malay: bujang c

• Persian: مجرد (fa) (mojarrad)
• Portuguese: solteiro (pt)
• Romanian: celibatar (ro) m, necăsătorit (ro) m, n
• Russian: (of men) неженатый (ru) (neženátyj), (of men) холостой (ru) m (xolostój) (colloquial), (of women) незамужняя (ru) f (nezamúžnjaja), (both sexes) одинокий (ru) (odinókij)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese Sardinian: bagadìu, solteri

  Gallurese Sardinian: vaggjànu

  Logudorese Sardinian: bayanu, éniu

• Sassarese Sardinian: vagiànu
• Serbo-Croatian: neoženjen, sam
• Spanish: soltero (es) m, soltera (es) f
• Swedish: ensamstående (sv), ogift (sv)
• Thai: เดี่ยว (th) (dìeow)
• Turkish: bekar (tr)
• Vietnamese: độc thân (vi)
• Volapük: selibik (vo)

botany: having only one rank or row of petal

• Swedish: enkel (sv)

Related terms

• singular
• singularity
• singularly

Noun

single (plural singles)

1. A 45 RPM vinyl record with one song on side A and one on side B.
2. A popular song released and sold (on any format) nominally on its own though usually has at least one extra track.

   The Offspring released four singles from their most recent album.

3. One who is not married.

   He went to the party, hoping to meet some friendly singles there.

4. (cricket) A score of one run.
5. (baseball) A hit in baseball where the batter advances to first base.
6. (dominoes) A tile that has different values (i.e., number of pips) in each end.
7. A bill valued at $1.

   I don't have any singles, so you'll have to make change.

8. (UK) A one-way ticket.
9. (Canadian football) A score of one point, awarded when a kicked ball is dead within the non-kicking team's end zone or has exited that end zone. Officially known in the rules as a rouge.
10. (tennis, chiefly in the plural) A game with one player on each side, as in tennis.
11. One of the reeled filaments of silk, twisted without doubling to give them firmness.
12. (UK, Scotland, dialect) A handful of gleaned grain.

Antonyms

• (45rpm vinyl record): album
• (one who is not married): married

Derived terms

• cassingle
• lead single
• singles bar
• singles charts
• split single
• CD single

Translations

45 RPM vinyl record

• Catalan: single (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 單曲 (zh), 单曲 (dānqū)

• Esperanto: unuopaĵo
• Finnish: single (fi)
• German: Single (de) f
• Irish: singil f
• Japanese: シングル (shinguru)
• Korean: 싱글 (ko) (singeul)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: singel m, single m, singelplate m, f

  Nynorsk: singel m, single m, singelplate f

• Portuguese: solteiro (pt) m, single (pt) m
• Russian: сингл (ru) m (singl)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: сингл m

  Roman: singl m

• Spanish: sencillo (es) m
• Swedish: singel (sv) c

popular song

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 單曲 (zh), 单曲 (dānqū)

• Esperanto: unuopaĵo
• Finnish: single (fi), sinkku (fi)
• German: Single (de) f, Singleauskopplung f
• Irish: singil f
• Japanese: シングル (shinguru)
• Korean: 싱글 (ko) (singeul)

• Portuguese: single (pt) m
• Russian: сингл (ru) m (singl)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: сингл m

  Roman: singl m

• Spanish: sencillo (es) m
• Swedish: singel (sv) c

one who is not married

• Arabic: عزب m (`ázab)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 獨身者, 独身者 (dúshēnzhě)

• Dutch: vrijgezel (nl)
• Finnish: naimaton (fi), sinkku (fi)
• French: célibataire (fr) m, f
• German: Alleinstehender m, Alleinstehende f, (dating jargon) Solomann m, (dating jargon) Solofrau f, Junggeselle (de) m, Junggesellin f, (obsolete) Jungfrau (de) f, (obsolete) Hagestolz (de) m, Single (de) m
• Italian: celibe (it), nubile (it)
• Japanese: 独身 (どくしん, dokushin)

• Portuguese: solteira (pt) f, solteiro (pt) m
• Russian: (of men) холостяк (ru) m (xolostják), (of women) незамужняя женщина (nezamúžnjaja žénščina), (colloquial, both sexes) одиночка (ru) m, f (odinóčka)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese Sardinian: bagadìu, solteri

  Gallurese Sardinian: vaggjànu

  Logudorese Sardinian: bayanu, éniu

• Sassarese Sardinian: vagiànu
• Serbo-Croatian: singl m
• Spanish: soltero (es) m, soltera (es) f
• Swedish: ensamstående (sv), ogift (sv)

cricket: score of one run

baseball: hit

• French: simple (fr) m

• Japanese: 単打 (tanda)

bill valued at $1

• German: Einer (de) m
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: تاک دۆلاری (tAk dolAri)

one-way ticket — see one-way ticket

See also

• baseball
• cricket

Verb

single (third-person singular simple present singles, present participle singling, simple past and past participle singled)

1. To identify or select one member of a group from the others; generally used with out, either to single out or to single (something) out.

   Eddie singled out his favorite marble from the bag.

   Yvonne always wondered why Ernest had singled her out of the group of giggling girls she hung around with.

   • Francis Bacon

     dogs who hereby can single out their master in the dark

2. (baseball) To get a hit that advances the batter exactly one base.

   Pedro singled in the bottom of the eighth inning, which, if converted to a run, would put the team back into contention.

3. (agriculture) To thin out.
   • 1913, D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, chapter 7

     Paul went joyfully, and spent the afternoon helping to hoe or to single turnips with his friend.

4. (of a horse) To take the irregular gait called singlefoot.
   • W. S. Clark

     Many very fleet horses, when overdriven, adopt a disagreeable gait, which seems to be a cross between a pace and a trot, in which the two legs of one side are raised almost but not quite, simultaneously. Such horses are said to single, or to be single-footed.

5. To sequester; to withdraw; to retire.
   • Hooker

     an agent singling itself from consorts

6. To take alone, or one by one.
   • Hooker

     men […] commendable when they are singled

Derived terms

• single out

Translations

to identify or select one member of a group]

• Finnish: valita (fi), poimia; see also: silmätikku (fi)

baseball: to get a hit that advances the batter exactly one base

farming: to thin out — see thin out

of a horse: to take the singlefoot gait

See also

Coefficient	Noun	Result
1	single	singlet
2	double	doublet
3	triple	triplet
4	quadruple	quadruplet
5	quintuple	quintuplet
6	sextuple	sextuplet
many	multiple	multiplet

References

• single in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• “single” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: sweet · duty · heavy · #615: single · foot · beauty · attention

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Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsiŋle/
• Hyphenation: sing‧le

Noun

single

1. single (45 rpm record)

Declension

Declension of single (Kotus type 8/nalle)

		singular	plural
nominative		single	singlet
accusative	zero?	single	singlet
	normal	singlen
genitive		singlen	singlejen singleinrare
partitive		singleä	singlejä
inessive		singlessä	singleissä
elative		singlestä	singleistä
illative		singleen	singleihin
adessive		singlellä	singleillä
ablative		singleltä	singleiltä
allative		singlelle	singleille
essive		singlenä	singleinä
translative		singleksi	singleiksi
instructive		—	singlein
abessive		singlettä	singleittä
comitative		—	singleineen

See also

• pitkäsoitto

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Italian

Etymology

English.

Noun

single m, f (invariable)

1. single, loner (person who lives alone and has no emotional ties)

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Norwegian Bokmål

Wikipedia ^no

Alternative forms

• singel

Noun

single m (definite singular singlen, indefinite plural singler, definite plural singlene)

1. (music) a single (record or CD)

Synonyms

• singelplate

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Wikipedia ⁿⁿ

Alternative forms

• singel

Noun

single m (definite singular singlen, indefinite plural singlar, definite plural singlane)

1. (music) a single (record or CD)

Synonyms

• singelplate