un (French)
Where does "un" come from?
The French word 'un' traces its origins back to the ancient Proto-Indo-European root *h₁óynos, which meant 'one' or 'single.' This root evolved through Proto-Italic and Old Latin into the Latin 'ūnus,' eventually passing through Old and Middle French to become the modern French term. Throughout this long journey, the word has maintained its fundamental meaning of numerical unity.
Full etymology tree
- un (French), 'one (the number or figure)'
- inherited un (Middle French), 'an; a'
- inherited un (Old French), 'a, an (masculine oblique singular indefinite article)'
- inherited ūnum (Latin), 'inflection of ūnus:'
- inherited ūnus (Latin), 'one, single'
- inherited oinos (Latin), 'one'
- inherited *oinos (Proto-Italic), 'one'
- inherited *h₁óynos (Proto-Indo-European), 'one'
- derived *éy (Proto-Indo-European)
- influence ἴα (ía) (Ancient Greek), 'feminine nominative/vocative singular of εἷς (heîs)'
- inherited *h₁óynos (Proto-Indo-European), 'one'
- inherited *oinos (Proto-Italic), 'one'
- inherited oinos (Latin), 'one'
- inherited ūnus (Latin), 'one, single'
- inherited ūnum (Latin), 'inflection of ūnus:'
- inherited un (Old French), 'a, an (masculine oblique singular indefinite article)'
- inherited un (Middle French), 'an; a'
Ancestors
- un (Middle French)
- un (Old French)
- unum (Latin)
- *oinos (Proto-Italic)
- *h₁óynos (Proto-Indo-European)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris