only

The word “only” means being the single one of its kind; sole. In plain terms, limits something to just one thing, person, or possibility — "and nothing else.".

“Only” is pronounced OHN-lee (/ˈoʊn.li/ in IPA).

Here is “only” used in a sentence: “This is the only copy of the letter that survived.”

Depending on how it is used, “only” can be an adjective, an adverb and a conjunction.

The word “only” comes from Old English. From Middle English oonly, from Old English ānlīċ ("singular, solitary"), literally built from one + -ly.

“Only” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Only” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: being the single one of its kind; sole.

As an adjective, 'only' means sole — the single one of its kind: 'the only exit,' 'their only child.' As an adverb, it means merely or no more than: 'I only asked once.' The adjective sits before a noun to mark uniqueness; the adverb limits or restricts the rest of the sentence.

An only child is someone with no brothers or sisters — the sole child in the family. Here 'only' is an adjective meaning the single one of its kind. It says nothing about the child's personality; it simply states that there are no siblings.

In 'she was the only witness,' 'only' marks her as the single one of her kind — no other witnesses existed. Other examples include 'the only copy,' 'our only hope,' and 'the only road into town.' In each, 'only' stresses that there is just one.

Yes, especially with the adverb. 'Only she saw him' (no one else did) differs from 'she only saw him' (she did nothing more) and 'she saw only him' (no one else). Placing 'only' directly before the word it limits keeps your meaning clear.