jedyne

Jedyne is a Polish adjective and determiner meaning "the only" or "sole," used to express exclusivity with a noun or a clause. It is derived from the numeral jeden (one) and functions as a determiner that agrees with the gender and number of the noun it modifies. In standard Polish, the form is jedyny for masculine, jedyna for feminine, and jedyne for neuter.

The neuter form jedyne is commonly used before neuter nouns, as in to jedyne wyjście (the only way out). The masculine and feminine forms—jedyny and jedyna—are used before masculine and feminine nouns respectively, for example, jedyny dom (the only house) or jedyna szansa (the only chance). Jedyne can also appear in fixed phrases introducing a relative clause, most notably in constructions such as to jedyne, co mogłem zrobić (the only thing I could do).

Usage notes include its role as a determiner of exclusivity rather than a numeral; it often precedes a noun or a clause and can be used in both formal writing and everyday speech. The word is relatively common in Polish and tends to appear in contexts stressing uniqueness or lack of alternatives. Related forms exist within the same paradigm, such as jedyny, jedyna, jedyne, which reflect gender agreement with the modified noun.

See also: jedyny, jedyna, jedne forms of numerals in Polish; Polish adjectives and determiners; comparative and superlative forms of numerals in Polish.