alone

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alone

/əˈləʊn/ UK
/əˈlɛːn/ Northumbria
/əˈlon/ Scotland
/əˈloːn/ Wales
/əˈloʊn/ US
/əˈlʌon/
/aˈluŋ/ Hong Kong

Rhymes with -əʊn

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.?

Proto-Indo-European *h₂elnós

Proto-Germanic *allaz

Proto-West Germanic *all

Old English eall

Proto-Indo-European *ís?

Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos

Proto-Germanic *ainaz

Proto-West Germanic *ain

Old English ān

Old English eall ān

Middle English all oon

Middle English allone

English alone

From Middle English allone, from earlier all oon (literally “all one”), contracted from the Old English phrase eall ān (“completely alone”), equivalent to al- (“all”) + one. Cognate with Scots alane (“alone”), Saterland Frisian alleene (“alone”), West Frisian allinne (“alone”), Dutch alleen (“alone”), Low German alleen (“alone”), German allein (“alone”), Danish alene (“alone”), Swedish allena (“alone”). More at all and one. For the different phonological development of alone and one, see the note in one.

adjective

not comparable, predicative By oneself, solitary. I can't ask for help because I am alone.
not comparable, predicative Not involved in a romantic relationship.
not comparable, predicative Lacking peers who share one's beliefs, experiences, practices, etc. Senator Craddock wants to abolish the estate tax, and she's not alone.
not comparable, obsolete, predicative Apart from, or exclusive of, others. There are proofs enough in History, and first that beautiful Hynes, so much beloved by Charles the seventh King of France, who valued the alone possession of her Love at so high a rate, that[…]
not comparable, obsolete, predicative Mere; consisting of nothing further. and therefore all Killing, Banishing, Fining, Imprisoning, and other such things, which Men are afflicted with, for the alone exercise of their Conscience, or difference in Worship or Opinion, proceedeth from the spirit of Cain, the Murderer, and is contrary to the Truth;
not comparable, obsolete, predicative Unique; rare; matchless. Pardon me, Proteus, all I can is nothing / To her, whose worth makes other worthies nothing; / She is alone.

adverb

not comparable, predicative By oneself; apart from, or exclusive of, others; solo. She walked home alone.
not comparable, predicative Without outside help. The job was too hard for me to do alone.
not comparable, predicative Not permitting anything further; exclusively. The president alone has the power to initiate a nuclear launch.
not comparable, predicative Not requiring anything further; merely. Oral antibiotics alone won't clear the infection.
broadly, not comparable, predicative Used to emphasize the size or extent of something by selecting a subset. Her wardrobe is huge. She has three racks for blazers alone.

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