Ane

Ane is a Scots-language word meaning the numeral one. It is used to indicate a single item or instance and often appears as a determiner in noun phrases, as in ane day, ane man, or ane time. In Scots writing and speech, ane functions as the straightforward equivalent of English “one,” and it is commonly found in folklore, poetry, and everyday dialogue to convey dialect flavor.

Etymology and variations: ane derives from the same historical origins as the English word one, tracing back to Old English ān. The Scots form reflects its own orthographic conventions and phonology, differentiating it from the Modern English indefinite article and numeral in standard usage. The pronunciation in many Scots varieties is roughly similar to “ain” or “ane,” depending on dialect.

Usage notes: In contemporary writing, ane appears primarily in texts aiming to represent Scots speech or in dialect poetry. In standard Scottish English, the form is typically preserved for stylistic or cultural reasons rather than as a routine grammatical item. Outside Scotland, ane is most often encountered in discussions of Scots language, literature (notably the works of writers such as Robert Burns), or in quoted dialogue that aims to evoke regional speech.

See also: Scots language; Scottish English; Robert Burns; Scots vocabulary.

Overall, ane is a core Scots lexical item that mirrors the English numeral one while maintaining distinctive Scots orthography and usage.