jednokrotnym

Jednokrotnym is the instrumental form of the Polish adjective jednokrotny. The basic meaning of jednokrotny is “occurring once” or “one-time,” used to describe events, actions, or occurrences that happen a single time rather than repeatedly. In everyday language, the more common term for a one-time use is jednorazowy, but jednokrotny appears in more formal or technical contexts, especially when contrasting single occurrences with multiple ones.

Etymology and related forms: the adjective is built from the numeral jeden (one) and the suffix -krotny, which is found in related words such as dwukrotny (twice), trzykrotny (three times), kilkrotny (several times). This family of terms is used to express frequency or repetition. The form jednokrotnym occurs when the adjective modifies a masculin- or neuter-noun in the instrumental case, for example in phrases like z jednokrotnym uruchomieniem systemu (“with a one-time startup of the system”).

Usage: jednokrotny is primarily found in formal, technical, or descriptive prose, including legal, statistical, or linguistic contexts. It serves to emphasize that an event or action occurred on a single occasion, as opposed to occurrences described by kilkrotny (several times) or wielokrotny (multiple times). In common speech, speakers may prefer jednorazowy or pojedynczy when the nuance of frequency is less important.

See also: kilkrotny, wielokrotny, jednorazowy.