Y- or I- . A prefix of obscure meaning, originally used with verbs, adverbs, adjectives, nouns, and pronouns. In the Middle English period, it was little employed except with verbs, being chiefly used with past participles, though occasionally with the infinitive. Ycleped, or yclept, is perhaps the only word not entirely obsolete which shows this use.
That no wight mighte it see neither yheere. --Chaucer.
Neither to ben yburied nor ybrent. --Chaucer.
Note: ☞ Some examples of Chaucer's use of this prefix are; ibe, ibeen, icaught, ycome, ydo, idoon, ygo, iproved, ywrought. It inough, enough, it is combined with an adjective. Other examples are in the Vocabulary.
Spenser and later writers frequently employed this prefix when affecting an archaic style, and sometimes used it incorrectly.
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i
adj : used of a single unit or thing; not two or more; "`ane' is
Scottish" [syn: one, 1, ane]
n 1: a nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; used
especially in medicine and photography and in dyes;
occurs naturally only in combination in small quantities
(as in sea water or rocks) [syn: iodine, iodin, atomic
number 53]
2: the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this
number; "he has the one but will need a two and three to
go with it"; "they had lunch at one" [syn: one, 1, ace,
single, unity]
3: the 9th letter of the Roman alphabet