Einzigen

Einzigen is a German adjective form derived from einzig, meaning "only" or "sole." It is most often encountered as an inflected attributive modifier before a noun, and it changes its ending according to case, gender, and number. The formelligen "einzigen" appears in several grammatical contexts, most notably in masculine singular accusative after a definite article, as in den einzigen Mann, and in other cases such as des einzigen Mannes or mit den einzigen Stimmen. In everyday usage, writers and speakers select the appropriate ending to match the noun and its role in the sentence.

Common usage and examples

- Den einzigen Mann, den ich kenne, … (the only man I know)

- Des einzigen Hauses Dach ist alt. (the roof of the only house is old)

- Mit den einzigen Stimmen stimmten sie ab. (they voted with the only votes)

- Die feminine form in a definite-determiner context is der einzigen Frau, in which case the form is "einzigen" as well.

Nominalized usage

Einzigen can also appear in a nominalized form when the adjective is used as a noun with capitalization: Der Einzige, der alles wusste, trat vor. Die Einzigen, die gekommen waren, gingen später. In this noun sense, Einzige/Einzigen functions as a substantive meaning “the one(s) who is/are the sole example.”

Etymology and related forms

The adjective einzig derives from eins (one) and the suffix -ig, evolving into forms like einzig, einzige, einzigen, etc. Related terms include einziger (strong or attributive form before a noun, or the noun Der Einzige, meaning “the only one”) and the adverbial use of einzig in phrases such as einzig und allein.

See also

einzig, einziger, der Einzige, die Einzigen.