Contextualizebeta

one-off

adj

Etymology

From one + off. Probably from foundry work, for which making reusable molds is expensive and expediency makes the rule for molds not to be used only once. A term long used by artists who are printmakers and sculptors to indicate a unique print or casting. If using traditional edition numbering, a one-off would be a "1/1", which is said, "one of one" meaning the first print in an edition of one.

  1. inherited from *h₂epo✻ — “from, off, back”
  2. inherited from *ab✻ — “from”
  3. inherited from *ab✻
  4. inherited from of
  5. inherited from of
  6. formed as one-off — “one + off”

Definitions

  1. Occurring once, independent of any pattern

    Occurring once, independent of any pattern; one-time.

    • The government insisted that the embarrassing loss of the tax records was a one-off event.
    • Seeing Halley's Comet is a one-off, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
    • If such a casting was wanted in a hurry — a one-off job — there would be no question of molding it on a machine.

  2. Special

    Special; remarkable; rare; unusual.

    • BMW is to create a one-off tribute to the iconic 3.0 CSL.
    • Grammy award-winning singer Celine Dion will reportedly earn $2 million for a one-off performance at the 2024 Olympics.

  3. Something that is done, created, etc. only once, and often quickly, simply, or…

    Something that is done, created, etc. only once, and often quickly, simply, or improvisationally.

    • Near-synonym: stand-alone
    • I'll put together a quick one-off as a sample so we can taste the recipe.
    • But even as he announced the military operation, he appeared to be rapidly trying to get himself back to the middle by insisting that the strike was a one-off and that he continues to seek peace.
  4. ›+ 1 more definition

    1. Something unique and remarkable.

      • Near-synonym: stand-alone
      • It is a one-off; there is nothing else like it.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for one-off. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA