The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Single \Sin"gle\, a. [L. singulus, a dim. from the root in
simplex simple; cf. OE. & OF. sengle, fr. L. singulus. See
Simple, and cf. Singular.]
1. One only, as distinguished from more than one; consisting
of one alone; individual; separate; as, a single star.
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No single man is born with a right of controlling
the opinions of all the rest. --Pope.
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2. Alone; having no companion.
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Who single hast maintained,
Against revolted multitudes, the cause
Of truth. --Milton.
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3. Hence, unmarried; as, a single man or woman.
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Grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness.
--Shak.
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Single chose to live, and shunned to wed. --Dryden.
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4. Not doubled, twisted together, or combined with others;
as, a single thread; a single strand of a rope.
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5. Performed by one person, or one on each side; as, a single
combat.
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These shifts refuted, answer thy appellant, . . .
Who now defles thee thrice ti single fight.
--Milton.
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6. Uncompounded; pure; unmixed.
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Simple ideas are opposed to complex, and single to
compound. --I. Watts.
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7. Not deceitful or artful; honest; sincere.
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I speak it with a single heart. --Shak.
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8. Simple; not wise; weak; silly. [Obs.]
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He utters such single matter in so infantly a voice.
--Beau. & Fl.
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Single ale, Single beer, or Single drink, small ale,
etc., as contrasted with double ale, etc., which is
stronger. [Obs.] --Nares.
Single bill (Law), a written engagement, generally under
seal, for the payment of money, without a penalty.
--Burril.
Single court (Lawn Tennis), a court laid out for only two
players.
Single-cut file. See the Note under 4th File.
Single entry. See under Bookkeeping.
Single file. See under 1st File.
Single flower (Bot.), a flower with but one set of petals,
as a wild rose.
Single knot. See Illust. under Knot.
Single whip (Naut.), a single rope running through a fixed
block.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
File \File\ (f[imac]l), n. [AS. fe['o]l; akin to D. viji, OHG.
f[imac]la, f[imac]hala, G. feile, Sw. fil, Dan. fiil, cf.
Icel. [thorn][=e]l, Russ. pila, and Skr. pi[,c] to cut out,
adorn; perh. akin to E. paint.]
1. A steel instrument, having cutting ridges or teeth, made
by indentation with a chisel, used for abrading or
smoothing other substances, as metals, wood, etc.
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Note: A file differs from a rasp in having the furrows made
by straight cuts of a chisel, either single or crossed,
while the rasp has coarse, single teeth, raised by the
pyramidal end of a triangular punch.
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2. Anything employed to smooth, polish, or rasp, literally or
figuratively.
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Mock the nice touches of the critic's file.
--Akenside.
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3. A shrewd or artful person. [Slang] --Fielding.
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Will is an old file in spite of his smooth face.
--Thackeray.
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Bastard file, Cross file, etc. See under Bastard,
Cross, etc.
Cross-cut file, a file having two sets of teeth crossing
obliquely.
File blank, a steel blank shaped and ground ready for
cutting to form a file.
File cutter, a maker of files.
Second-cut file, a file having teeth of a grade next finer
than bastard.
Single-cut file, a file having only one set of parallel
teeth; a float.
Smooth file, a file having teeth so fine as to make an
almost smooth surface.
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