any
One at all; at least one; at least one kind of; some; a positive quantity of.
Adverb
- To even the slightest extent, at all.
- If you get any taller, you'll start having to duck through doorways!
- That doesn't bother me any. (chiefly US usage)
- You don't seem to be any the worse after such a tragic experience.
Origin
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ís? Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Indo-European *h₁oy-no-kós Proto-Germanic *ainagaz Proto-West Germanic *ainag Old English ǣniġ Middle English ani English any From Middle English any, eny, ony, ani, aniȝ, eniȝ, æniȝ, from Old English ǣniġ (“any”), from Proto-West Germanic *ainīg, *ainag, from Proto-Germanic *ainagaz, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz (“one”), equivalent to one + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian eenich (“some”), West Frisian iennich (“only”), Dutch enig (“any, some”), Afrikaans enig (“any”), German Low German enig (“some”), German einig (“some”); via Proto-Indo-European *óynos cognate with Latin ūllus (“any”), Latin ūnicus (whence Italian unico (“unique”), French unique (“unique”)). Piecewise doublet of unique.
Forms
Determiner
- One at all; at least one; at least one kind of; some; a positive quantity of.
- Near-synonym: some
- Do you have any biscuits?
- Do you have any food?
Synonyms: some
- A/an, each or some, no matter its/their identity or nature.
- Choose any item you want.
- Any person may apply.
- Representative democracy is better than any other system.
- An unspecified but imminent (second, minute, day etc.).
- They'll be arriving any day.
- I expect the phone to ring at any moment.
Forms
Related
Derived
any and all any and every anybody anycast any day any exposure is good exposure any fule kno any given Sunday any good any hole's a goal anyhow any longer any minute now any moment now anymore any more any nook or cranny any number of any old anyon anyone any other business anyplace anypony
Pronoun
- Any thing(s) or person(s).
- Any may apply.