Illustrative Context

One plus one is two.

Target Sense

• The default numeral one, as used when referring to a single inanimate objects.
• Avoid any different terms that specifically highlight only one, e.g. lone, single.
• Avoid any different terms used specifically when referring to humans (e.g. in Irish) or other animates.
• Avoid terms that specifically imply isolation or collective meaning.

• Avoid terms specific to counting up or down, if different, e.g. in Irish, or in Russian where the lexeme for IE CoR one is odin, not raz (used when counting up).

• In some languages, the same word root for the numeral one can take different grammatical forms.

  • In languages that have gender, give the common or masculine form.
  • In languages that have a contrasting emphatic form, e.g. Armenian emphatic mek, avoid this and give the non-emphatic form.
  • In languages that have a distinct dual form of the two word, used only for things that naturally come in pairs (e.g. eyes, hands), avoid this and give the form of the two word used more generally.

• See also the target sense definitions for all five lowest numerals covered in IE-CoR: one, two, three, four, five.