different between only vs oily
only
English
Alternative forms
- onely (obsolete)
- onlie (obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle English oonly, onli, onlych, onelich, anely, from Old English ?nl??, ?nl?? (“like; similar; equal”), from Proto-Germanic *ainal?kaz, equivalent to one +? -ly. Cognate with obsolete Dutch eenlijk, German ähnlich (“similar”), Old Norse álíkr, Swedish enlig (“unified”). Regarding the different phonological development of only and one, see the note in one.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /???n.li/
- (UK) IPA(key): /???n.l?/
- (US) IPA(key): /?o?n.li/
- Hyphenation: on?ly
Adjective
only (not comparable)
- Alone in a category.
- Singularly superior; the best.
- Without sibling; without a sibling of the same gender.
- 1949, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Cheaper by the Dozen, dedication:
- To DAD ¶ who only reared twelve children ¶ and ¶ To MOTHER ¶ who reared twelve only children
- 1949, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Cheaper by the Dozen, dedication:
- (obsolete) Mere.
Synonyms
- (alone in a category): sole, lone; see also Thesaurus:sole
- (singularly superior): peerless, unequaled, nonpareil
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Translations
Adverb
only (not comparable)
- Without others or anything further; exclusively.
- No more than; just.
- 1949, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Cheaper by the Dozen, dedication:
- To DAD
- who only reared twelve children
- and
- To MOTHER
- who reared twelve only children
- 1949, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Cheaper by the Dozen, dedication:
- As recently as.
- c. 1924-1955, anonymous, The Urantia Book
- Only yesterday did I feed you with bread for your bodies; today I offer you the bread of life for your hungry souls.
- c. 1924-1955, anonymous, The Urantia Book
- (Britain) Used to express surprise or consternation at an action.
- She's only gone and run off with the milkman!
- Introduces a disappointing or surprising outcome that renders futile something previously mentioned.
- They rallied from a three-goal deficit only to lose in the final two minutes of play.
- I helped him out only for him to betray me.
- (obsolete) Above all others; particularly.
- 1604, John Marston, Parasitaster, or The Fawn
- his most only elected mistress
- 1604, John Marston, Parasitaster, or The Fawn
Synonyms
- (without others): See also Thesaurus:solely
- (no more than): See also Thesaurus:merely
- (as recently as):
- (above all others):
Derived terms
- if and only if
- only if
- if only
- only to
Translations
Conjunction
only
- (informal) Under the condition that; but.
- You're welcome to borrow my bicycle, only please take care of it.
- But; except.
- She would get good results only she gets nervous.
- 1664 April 22, The Diary of Samuel Pepys:
- […] and pleasant it was, only for the dust.
- 1931, Dorothy L Sayers, The Five Red Herrings chapter 24:
- […] oot of a' six suspects there's not one that's been proved to ha' been nigh the place where the corpse was found, only Mr Graham.
Related terms
- if only
Translations
Noun
only (plural onlys or onlies)
- An only child.
- 2013, Sybil L. Hart, Maria Legerstee, Handbook of Jealousy
- The consistent finding […] that infants who are onlies do not differ from those who have siblings despite their lesser history of exposure to differential treatment is perplexing.
- 2013, Sybil L. Hart, Maria Legerstee, Handbook of Jealousy
Translations
References
- only at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams
- Lyon, lyon, noyl, ynol
only From the web:
- what onlyfans
- what only eats plants
- what only we know
- what only eats meat
- what only love can see
- what only has prokaryotic cells
- what only love can see lyrics
- what only occurs in meiosis
oily
English
Alternative forms
- oyly (obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle English oylei, equivalent to oil +? -y. Compare German ölig (“oily”), Swedish oljig (“oily”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /???li/
- Rhymes: -??li
Adjective
oily (comparative oilier, superlative oiliest)
- Relating to or resembling oil.
- 1895, H. G. Wells, The Time Machine, Chapter 11,[1]
- There were no breakers and no waves, for not a breath of wind was stirring. Only a slight oily swell rose and fell like a gentle breathing, and showed that the eternal sea was still moving and living.
- 1895, H. G. Wells, The Time Machine, Chapter 11,[1]
- Covered with or containing oil.
- 1853, Herman Melville, “Bartleby, the Scrivener,”[2]
- His clothes were apt to look oily and smell of eating-houses.
- 1917, Robert Hichens, In the Wilderness, Chapter ,[3]
- […] overdressed young men of enigmatic appearance, with oily thick hair, shifty eyes, and hands covered with cheap rings, swaggered about smoking cigarettes and talking in loud, ostentatious voices.
- 1853, Herman Melville, “Bartleby, the Scrivener,”[2]
- (figuratively) Excessively friendly or polite but insincere.
- c. 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act I, Scene 1,[4]
- […] for I want that glib and oily art
- To speak and purpose not, since what I well intend,
- I’ll do’t before I speak […]
- 1848, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, Chapter 22,[5]
- Mr Carker the Manager, sly of manner, sharp of tooth, soft of foot, watchful of eye, oily of tongue, cruel of heart, nice of habit, sat with a dainty steadfastness and patience at his work, as if he were waiting at a mouse’s hole.
- 1914, Algernon Blackwood, “The Damned,”[6]
- ‘He had an inflexible will beneath all that oily kindness which passed for spiritual […] ’
- c. 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act I, Scene 1,[4]
Derived terms
- oiliness
- smell of an oily rag
Translations
Noun
oily (plural oilies)
- A marble with an oily lustre.
- 1998, Joanna Cole, Stephanie Calmenson, Michael Street, Marbles: 101 ways to play
- Lustered (also called lusters, rainbows, oilies, and pearls).
- 2001, Paul Webley, The economic psychology of everyday life (page 39)
- But marbles are not only used to play games: they are also traded. In this market, the value of the different kinds of marbles (oilies, emperors, etc.) is determined by local supply and demand and not by the price of the marbles […]
- 1998, Joanna Cole, Stephanie Calmenson, Michael Street, Marbles: 101 ways to play
- (in the plural, informal) Oilskins. (waterproof garment)
oily From the web:
- what oily fish is good for you
- what oily skin looks like
- what oily skin needs
- what oily fish
- what oily skin means
- what oily water separator
- what oily fish is good for dogs
- what oily hair look like
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