once

English Online Dictionary. What means once‎? What does once mean?

English

Etymology 1

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

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

Adverb

once (not comparable)

1. (frequency) One and only one time.

   Synonym: one time

2. (temporal location) Formerly; during some period in the past.
3. (chiefly obsolete) At any time; ever.

4. (obsolete) One day, someday.
5. (mathematics) Multiplied by one: indicating that a number is multiplied by one.

Synonyms

• (one time): See Thesaurus:once
• (formerly): See Thesaurus:formerly

Coordinate terms

• (one time): twice, thrice, often, never, seldom
• (formerly): yesterday, tomorrow

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Conjunction

once

1. As soon as; when; after.

Translations

Etymology 2

Noun

once (plural onces)

1. Obsolete form of ounce.

Anagrams

• Coen, Cone, Econ., Noce, ceno-, coen-, cone, cœn-, econ, econ.

Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin ūndecim.

Numeral

once

1. eleven

Derived terms

• oncén

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin ūndecim.

Numeral

once (indeclinable)

1. eleven

Derived terms

• oncenu

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ̃s/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin uncia.

Noun

once f (plural onces)

1. ounce (avoirdupois ounce)
2. (figuratively, by extension) a little bit

Descendants

• → Turkish: ons

Etymology 2

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

once f (plural onces)

1. snow leopard

Further reading

• “once”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• cône, noce

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin uncia.

Noun

once f (plural oncis)

1. ounce

Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese onze, from Latin ūndecim.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: on‧ce

Numeral

once (indeclinable)

1. eleven

Italian

Noun

once f

1. plural of oncia

Anagrams

• Ceno, Noce, ceno, ceno-, cenò, noce, ocne

Middle English

Adverb

once

1. Alternative form of ones

Spanish

Alternative forms

• onze (obsolete)

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

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

Numeral

once

1. eleven

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Cebuano: onse
• → Tagalog: onse

Etymology 2

Snacks were typically taken at 11 am.

Noun

once f pl (plural only)

1. (Latin America) elevenses, snack (bread with tea or coffee)

   tomar las once ― to have elevenses

Further reading

• “once”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28