een

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See also: Een, e'en, -een, eên, -éen, and één

English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /iːn/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -iːn

Etymology 1

Noun

een

  1. (archaic and Scotland, Northern England) plural of eye
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. , London: [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 21:
      And eke with fatnesse swollen were his eyne
    • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
      But the sight of her eyes was not a thing to forget. John Dodds said they were the een of a deer with the Devil ahint them; and indeed, they would so appal an onlooker that a sudden unreasoning terror came into his heart, while his feet would impel him to flight.
References

Etymology 2

From a contraction of even.

Adverb

een (not comparable)

  1. (dialectal, Northern England) even.

Etymology 3

From even (evening).

Noun

een (plural eens)

  1. (poetic or dialectal, Scotland) evening.
Synonyms

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Afrikaans numbers (edit)
10
 ←  0 1 2  →  10  → 
    Cardinal: een
    Ordinal: eerste
    Ordinal abbreviation: 1ste

Etymology

From Dutch een, from Middle Dutch een, from Old Dutch ēn, ein, from Proto-West Germanic *ain, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos.

Pronunciation

Numeral

een

  1. one

Derived terms

Anagrams

Central Franconian

Alternative forms

  • ein (Kölsch; Westerwald)
  • ään (eastern Moselle Franconian)

Etymology

    From Middle High German ein, from Old High German ein, from Proto-West Germanic *ain, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos, possibly from *éy + *-nós.

    Pronunciation

    Numeral

    een

    1. (Ripuarian, western Moselle Franconian) one
      Loß mich der nur een Frooch stelle.
      Let me ask you just one question.
      Wanns de keene Steff häs, kann ich der eener jevve.
      If you don't have a pencil, I can give you one.

    Declension

    • Nominative/Accusative:
      • Attributive: ee Mann or eene Mann, een Frau, ee Kend. The form ee becomes een before vowels and optionally elsewhere, whereas the feminine is always een.
      • Independent without determiner: eener or eene m, een f, eent or (younger) eens n.
      • Independent with determiner: dä/die/dat een or dä/die/dat eene.
    • Dative:
      • Without determiner: eenem Mann, eener Frau, eenem Kend.
      • With determiner: däm eene m/n, dä eene or dä eener f.
    • Eastern Moselle Franconian distinguishes masculine nominative and accusative. Masculine ää, ääner are nominative, whereas masculine ääne is accusative.
    • Westernmost Ripuarian has no dative forms. Moreover it uses the velarised stem eng- before vocalic endings and always in the feminine.

    Descendants

    • Hunsrik: een
    • Luxembourgish: een

    See also

    Dutch

    Etymology

    From Middle Dutch êen, from Old Dutch ēn, ein, from Proto-West Germanic *ain, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos.

    Pronunciation 1

    Article

    een (contracted form 'n)

    1. (indefinite article) Placed before a singular noun, indicating a general case of a person or thing: a, an. Compare with de and het
    Descendants
    • Berbice Creole Dutch: en
    • Negerhollands: een
    • Jersey Dutch: ên, en
    • Skepi Creole Dutch: aen

    Pronunciation 2

    Numeral

    Dutch numbers (edit)
    10
     ←  0 1 2  →  10  → 
        Cardinal: een
        Ordinal: eerste

    een (emphasized form één)

    1. one
    Derived terms
    Descendants
    • Berbice Creole Dutch: en
    • Jersey Dutch: êne, ên
    • Negerhollands: een, en
    • Skepi Creole Dutch: en
    • Trió: ein_me

    Noun

    een f (plural enen, diminutive eentje n)

    1. one (digit or figure 1)
    2. one (use or instance of the number 1)
      Ik had een een voor mijn geschiedenistoets.
      I got a one for my history exam.
    Alternative forms

    Usage notes

    When it is unclear from the context whether een is the number (pronounced /eːn/) or the indefinite article (pronounced /ən/), the former is written with acute accents: één (one). In all other cases it is written without. For example, een van die unambiguously means “one of those”, so it is written without acute accents. However, een appel could mean both “one apple” and “an apple”, so if the former is intended one would write één appel.

    When only the first letter of één is capitalised, the acute accent is usually dropped from the upper case E: Eén.

    Examples
    • Een hoed: a hat; een oor; an ear.
    • Eén voor allen, allen voor één: one for all, all for one. (The motto of The Three Musketeers.)

    Anagrams

    Dutch Low Saxon

    Etymology 1

    Pronunciation

    Article

    een m (indefinite article)

    1. (Achterhoeks, Drents, Sallands, Stellingwerfs, Twents, Urkers, Veluws) a, an

    Etymology 2

    Alternative forms

    Pronunciation

    Numeral

    een

    1. (Achterhoeks, Drents, Sallands, Twents, Veluws) one (1)
      Een hoed: a hat; een ore; an ear.
      Eén veur allen, allen veur één: one for all, all for one. (The motto of The Three Musketeers.)

    Further reading

    Usage notes

    • When it is unclear from the context whether een is the number or the indefinite article, the former is written with acute accents: één. In all other cases it is written without. For example, een van die is 'one of those'. But een appel can mean both 'one apple' and 'an apple', so if the former is intended one would write één appel.

    Finnish

    Noun

    een

    1. genitive singular of ee

    Anagrams

    German Low German

    German Low German cardinal numbers
     <  0 1 2  > 
        Cardinal : een
        Ordinal : eerst

    Alternative forms

    • (in other dialects, including Low Prussian) en
    • (in some dialects) ein
    • (East Pomeranian) ain
    • (for others, see en)

    Article

    een m or n

    1. (in some dialects, including Low Prussian) Alternative spelling of en : a, an

    Numeral

    een

    1. (in some dialects) Alternative spelling of en : one (1)

    Coordinate terms

    Hunsrik

    Hunsrik numbers (edit)
    10
     ←  0 1 2  →  10  → 
        Cardinal: een, enns
        Ordinal: eerst
        Adverbial: eenmol
        Fractional: ganz

    Etymology

      From Central Franconian een, from Middle High German ein, from Old High German ein, from Proto-West Germanic *ain, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos, possibly from *éy + *-nós.[1]

      Cognate with German ein and Luxembourgish een.

      Pronunciation

      Numeral

      een

      1. one

      Declension

      References

      1. ^ Piter Kehoma Boll (2021) “een”, in Dicionário Hunsriqueano Riograndense–Português (in Portuguese), 3rd edition, Ivoti: Riograndenser Hunsrickisch, page 40

      Luxembourgish

      Luxembourgish cardinal numbers
      1 2  > 
          Cardinal : een

      Etymology

        From Central Franconian een, from Middle High German ein, from Old High German ein, from Proto-West Germanic *ain, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos, possibly from *éy + *-nós.

        Pronunciation

        Numeral

        een (masculine and neuter nominative/accusative)

        1. one
          Du hues nëmmen een Dag gewaart.
          You only waited one day.

        Usage notes

        • Inflects like the indefinite article en, which see.
        • In counting (like one, two, three), the form eent is mostly used instead.

        Pronoun

        een (indefinite, masculine nominative/accusative)

        1. one (of a number)
          Ee vun iech muss dat dach wëssen!
          One of you must know this!
        2. someone, anyone
          Wann een no mir freet: ech sinn am Gaart.
          If someone asks for me: I’m in the garden.
        3. one, you (people in general)
          Et muss een hautdesdaags oppasse, wat ee seet.
          You must be careful what you say these days.

        Usage notes

        • Becomes eent in the neuter. Otherwise inflects like the numeral.
        • In sense 3, it does not usually appear in sentence-initial position. If necessary, et is used as a placeholder (as in the example above).

        Middle Dutch

        Etymology

        From Old Dutch ēn, ein, from Proto-West Germanic *ain, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz, from Proto-Indo-European *óynos.

        Pronunciation

        Article

        êen

        1. a (indefinite article)
        2. a certain (before people's names)

        Inflection

        This article needs an inflection-table template.

        Descendants

        • Dutch: een, 'n (/ən/)
        • Zealandic: 'n

        Numeral

        êen

        1. one

        Inflection

        This numeral needs an inflection-table template.

        Descendants

        • Dutch: een (/eːn/)
        • Limburgish: ein
        • Zealandic: eên

        Pronoun

        êen

        1. one, someone, a certain person
          Synonym: iemen
        2. something
        3. one (indefinite)
          Synonym: men

        Inflection

        This pronoun needs an inflection-table template.

        Further reading

        North Frisian

        North Frisian numbers (edit)
        10
        1 2  →  10  → 
            Cardinal: een
            Ordinal: iarst

        Alternative forms

        Etymology

        From Old Frisian ēn.

        Pronunciation

        Numeral

        een m (feminine and neuter ian)

        1. (Föhr-Amrum) one

        Coordinate terms

        Old Frisian

        Pronunciation

        Numeral

        een

        1. Late Old Frisian spelling of ēn

        Article

        een

        1. Late Old Frisian spelling of ēn

        References

        • Bremmer, Rolf H. (2009) An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN

        Saterland Frisian

        Etymology

        See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

        Pronunciation

        Numeral

        een

        1. feminine/neuter of aan

        Article

        een

        1. feminine/neuter of aan

        References

        • Marron C. Fort (2015) “een”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

        Scots

        Etymology 1

        Noun

        een

        1. plural of ee

        Etymology 2

        Numeral

        een

        1. Doric Scots, South Northern Scots, and Shetland form of ane (one)

        Yola

        Pronunciation

        Etymology 1

        From Middle English eend, from Old English ende, from Proto-West Germanic *andī.

        Alternative forms

        Noun

        een

        1. end
          Synonym: endeen
          • 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY:
            Ill een.
            Ill end.

        Etymology 2

        Noun

        een

        1. Alternative form of ieen (eyes)

        References

        • Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 37 & 38