What is "only"

Only \On"ly\, a. [OE. only, anly, onlich, AS. [=a]nlic, i.e., onelike. See One, and Like, a.]

1. One alone; single; as, the only man present; his only occupation.

2. Alone in its class; by itself; not associated with others of the same class or kind; as, an only child.

3. Hence, (figuratively): Alone, by reason of superiority; pre["e]minent; chief. ``Motley's the only wear.''
   --Shak.

Only \On"ly\, adv. [See Only, a.]

1. In one manner or degree; for one purpose alone; simply; merely; barely.

   And to be loved himself, needs only to be known.
   --Dryden.

2. So and no otherwise; no other than; exclusively; solely; wholly. ``She being only wicked.''
   --Beau. & Fl.

   Every imagination . . . of his heart was only evil.
   --Gen. vi. 5.

3. Singly; without more; as, only-begotten.

4. Above all others; particularly. [Obs.]

   His most only elected mistress.
   --Marston.

Only \On"ly\, conj. Save or except (that); -- an adversative used elliptically with or without that, and properly introducing a single fact or consideration.

He might have seemed some secretary or clerk . . . only that his low, flat, unadorned cap . . . indicated that he belonged to the city.
--Sir W. Scott.

Old English ænlic, anlic "only, unique, solitary," literally "one-like," from an "one" (see one) + -lic "-like" (see -ly (1)). Use as an adverb and conjunction developed in Middle English. Distinction of only and alone (now usually in reference to emotional states) is unusual; in many languages the same word serves for both. German also has a distinction in allein/einzig. Phrase only-begotten (mid-15c.) is biblical, translating Latin unigenitus, Greek monogenes. The Old English form was ancenned.

a. Alone in a category. adv. Without others or anything further; exclusively. conj. 1 Under the condition that; but. 2 however. 3 But for the fact that; except. n. (context rare English) only child

1. adj. being the only one; single and isolated from others; "the lone doctor in the entire county"; "a lonesome pine"; "an only child"; "the sole heir"; "the sole example"; "a solitary instance of cowardice"; "a solitary speck in the sky" [syn: lone(a), lonesome(a), only(a), sole(a), solitary(a)]

2. exclusive of anyone or anything else; "she alone believed him"; "cannot live by bread alone"; "I'll have this car and this car only" [syn: alone(p)]

1. adv. and nothing more; "I was merely asking"; "it is simply a matter of time"; "just a scratch"; "he was only a child"; "hopes that last but a moment" [syn: merely, simply, just, but]

2. without any others being included or involved; "was entirely to blame"; "a school devoted entirely to the needs of problem children"; "he works for Mr. Smith exclusively"; "did it solely for money"; "the burden of proof rests on the prosecution alone"; "a privilege granted only to him" [syn: entirely, exclusively, solely, alone]

3. with nevertheless the final result; "He arrived only to find his wife dead"; "We won only to lose again in the next round"

4. in the final outcome; "These news will only make you more upset"

5. except that; "It was the same story; only this time she came out better"

6. never except when; "call me only if your cold gets worse" [syn: only if, only when]

7. as recently as; "I spoke to him only an hour ago"

Only may refer to:

• Only (magazine), a Canadian news and entertainment magazine
• Only (album), an album by Tommy Emmanuel
• "Only" (Anthrax song)
• "Only" (Nine Inch Nails song)
• "Only" (Nicki Minaj song)
• Only, Tennessee, an unincorporated community in United States
• " The Only", a song by Static-X
• Jerry Only (born 1959), American punk rock bassist and singer

"Only" is a song by the American artist Nine Inch Nails. It was released as the second single from Nine Inch Nails' fourth album, With Teeth. "Only" reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock chart, where it stayed for seven weeks. It is the second successful release that Nine Inch Nails has had in the U.K., peaking at number 20.

The song is regarded as a fan-favorite and has been a staple of Nine Inch Nails live performances for several years, placed by setlist.fm as the artist's twentieth most played song live.

'' Only'' is an album by Australian musician Tommy Emmanuel. It is Emmanuel's first solo acoustic guitar release.

"Only" is a song by New York heavy metal band Anthrax off their 1993 album Sound of White Noise. It is one of their most popular songs from the John Bush era, and has also appeared on their compilation album, Return of the Killer A's. Recently Joey Belladonna has sung this song on the big four tours, although the lyrics were written by Bush.

Only is a free Canadian bi-monthly news and entertainment magazine published in Vancouver, British Columbia by the Only Trust - who also organize Vancouver's Music Waste Festival and Victory Square Block Party. The paper has a circulation of 10,000 in the Vancouver area. Its first issue ran on October 8, 2004.

Only Magazine was founded just days before its inaugural issue after the publisher-editor Darren Atwater was fired from the Vancouver weekly Terminal City that he had started over a decade before. In solidarity, many of the Terminal City staff walked out and formed Only Magazine. In an editorial about the takeover that appeared in issue 1, the Only staff writes:

Only Magazine focuses heavily on covering the fringes of Vancouver's creative communities, but often runs interviews with touring bands such as Deerhoof, Wolf Eyes, Black Dice and Erase Errata. Most articles are written with a sense of irreverence and poignant satire that is often criticized as overly critical which has caused a number of controversies in the magazine's short life.

In February 2007, after 60 issues the print magazine was put on hiatus for restructuring. The magazine continues all of its editorial online at onlymagazine.ca.

In March 2007, Only Magazine launched its first all-Vancouver music podcast and a widget to count down the days until the supposed 2010 Olympic riot.

The magazine's cover is often done by Vancouver artists and students from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design.

"Only" is a song by Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj, from her third studio album, The Pinkprint (2014). It was released on October 28, 2014 by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records as the third single from the album. It features additional rap vocals from hip hop artists Drake and Lil Wayne, and also features Chris Brown who sings the chorus of the song. The artists co-wrote the song with its producers, Dr. Luke, Cirkut, and JMIKE, with production assistance from HBM and Rock City. "Only" is a hip-hop song that contains an "icy" production that sits "ominously" underneath dirty lyrical metaphors.

The song achieved chart success in the United States; "Only" peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, giving Minaj her fourth number one and making her the only female rap artist to do so. The song was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with sales of 949,500. The song received a nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 58th Grammy Awards.

The song was supported with the release of both a lyric video and an official video. The lyric video was released in November 2014, premiering close to the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, with visualizations inspired by the Nazi Regime and the work of Leni Riefenstahl. There was immediate backlash from fans, calling the video anti-semitic and insensitive, although Minaj stated she was not involved in the production of the lyric video and said she regrets not overseeing it before it was posted to YouTube. The song accompanying music video was released the following month and was directed by Hannah Lux Davis; it premiered on December 12, 2014.