vienas

Vienas is the Lithuanian word for the number one. It is a cardinal numeral used to indicate a single item or person and can function as both a determiner before a noun and as a pronoun on its own. When used with a noun, vienas agrees with gender and case, for example vienas žmogus (one man) and viena moteris (one woman). Beyond attributive use, vienas also occurs as a pronoun meaning "one person" or "one of them" in phrases such as vienas iš jų.

Grammatically, the form changes according to gender and case, similar to other adjectives and numerals in Lithuanian. In ordinary speech, it is most common for counting and identification, and it is typically contrasted with higher numerals such as du (two) and with ordinal forms like pirmas (first). The word can also appear in constructions that emphasize singularity or individuality, for example a single entity within a group.

Etymology and cognates: vienas is derived from Baltic language roots and is cognate with Latvian viens, reflecting their shared linguistic heritage. The word is used across standard Lithuanian and dialects, maintaining the essential meaning of single or one.

In usage, vienas is a fundamental element of Lithuanian numerals and plays a role in both descriptive and referential expressions. Related topics include Lithuanian numerals and the broader Baltic language family.