different between once vs erst

English

Etymology

From Middle English ones (genitive of on (“one”) used adverbally), from Old English ?nes (“of one”), genitive of ?n (“one”). Compare Old Saxon ?nes (“once”), Old High German ein?st (“once”) (German einst). More at one (including regarding the development of the pronunciation) and -s.

Pronunciation

• enPR: w?n(t)s, IPA^(key): /w?n(t)s/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /w?n(t)s/, /w?n(t)s/
• (US) IPA^(key): /w?n(t)s/
• Rhymes: -?ns

Adverb

once (not comparable)

1. (frequency) One and only one time.

2. (temporal location) Formerly; during some period in the past.
3. (mathematics) Multiplied by one: indicating that a number is multiplied by one.

4. (obsolete) at any time; ever;

   • The wisdom of God thought fit to acquaint David with that court which we shall once govern.

   If the facts once became known, we'd be in trouble.

Synonyms

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

Coordinate terms

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

Derived terms

• Christmas comes but once a year
• once-in-a-lifetime

Translations

See also

• at once
• once again, once more
• once and for all
• once in a blue moon
• once in a while
• once removed
• once upon a time

Conjunction

once

1. As soon as; when; after.

   We'll get a move on once we find the damn car keys!

   Once you have obtained the elven bow, return to the troll bridge and trade it for the sleeping potion.

   Once he is married, he will be able to claim the inheritance.

Translations

Anagrams

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

Aragonese

Alternative forms

• onze

Etymology

From Latin ?ndecim.

Numeral

once

1. eleven

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin ?ndecim.

Numeral

once (indeclinable)

1. eleven

Derived terms

• oncenu

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??s/

Etymology 1

From Latin uncia.

Noun

once f (plural onces)

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

Etymology 2

From Old French lonce which became l'once (la + once), itself from Vulgar Latin *luncea, from Latin lynx, ultimately from Ancient Greek ???? (lúnx), or possibly borrowed from Italian lonza.

Noun

once f (plural onces)

1. snow leopard

Anagrams

• cône, noce

Further reading

• “once” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin uncia.

Noun

once f (plural oncis)

1. ounce

Galician

Etymology

From Old Portuguese onze, from Latin ?ndecim.

Pronunciation

Numeral

once (indeclinable)

1. eleven

Italian

Noun

once f

1. plural of oncia

Anagrams

• ceno, cenò, noce

Middle English

Adverb

once

1. Alternative form of ones

Spanish

Alternative forms

• onze (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /?on?e/, [?õn?.?e]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /?onse/, [?õn.se]

Etymology 1

From Old Spanish onze, ondze, from Latin ?ndecim.

Numeral

once

1. eleven

Derived terms

• onceno

Descendants

• ? Cebuano: onse
• ? Tagalog: onse

Etymology 2

Snacks were typically taken at 11 am.

Noun

once f (plural onces)

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

Further reading

• “once” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

English

Alternative forms

• arste
• yerst (dialectal)

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?st/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??st/

Etymology 1

From Middle English erste, from Old English ?resta (“first”), from Proto-West Germanic *airist (“earliest, first”), equivalent to ere +? -est. Cognate with North Frisian eerst, ærst (“first”), West Frisian earst (“first”), Dutch eerste (“first”), German erste (“first”).

Adjective

erst (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) First.

Etymology 2

From Middle English erst, arst, erest, from Old English ?rest (“first, erst, at first, before all”), from Proto-West Germanic *airist(?) (“erst”). Cognate with Scots erst (“erst”), Dutch eerst.

Adverb

erst (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) First of all, before (some other specified thing).
   • 1567, Arthur Golding, Ovid's Metamorphoses, book 2, line 691:

     Consider what I erst have been and what thou seest me now:

2. (obsolete) Sooner (than); before.
3. (archaic, poetic) Formerly, once, erstwhile.
   • 1609, William Shakespeare, Sonnet 12:

     When lofty trees I see barren of leaves

     Which erst from heat did canopy the herd

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:erst.

Derived terms

• erstwhile

Anagrams

• 'rest, -estr-, -ster, -ster-, ERTs, REST, Rest., SERT, TERs, estr-, rest, rest., rets, tres

German

Etymology

See the numeral erster.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e?rst/, [?e???st], [????st]

Adverb

erst

1. first, at first
2. only (with progress, accomplishments or the present time)

3. not until, not for, not before (with reference to a point or period of time in the future)

4. only, as recently as (with reference to the past)

5. short for erstmal

Usage notes

• With reference to time periods and moments, the opposite of erst is schon. Erst emphasizes how long it is until something happens or how recently it has happened, whereas schon how soon in the future or far in the past. Thus:

  erst in drei Wochen = "not for three weeks" [and that seems so far away]

  schon in drei Wochen = "in only three weeks" [and I'm glad I don't have to wait any longer]

• With reference to progress and the like, erst emphasizes how young or short, while schon emphasizes how old or long. Thus:

  Sie ist erst 28 Jahre alt  = "She's only 28" [and yet she has so many accomplishments/she looks so much older, etc.]

  Sie ist schon 28 Jahre alt = "She's already 28" [but it seems only yesterday that she was a little girl]

Synonyms

• (1.) zuerst

Related terms

• erster

Further reading

• “erst” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Old Frisian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?e?rst/, [???rst]

Adjective

?rst

1. Alternative form of ?rest

References

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