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single British & World English

only one; not one of several

single someone/thing out in single British & World English

choose someone or something from a group for special treatment

single bond British & World English

a chemical bond in which one pair of electrons is shared between two atoms

single-copy British & World English

(of a gene or genetic sequence) present in a genome in only one copy

single-cut British & World English

(of a file) having grooves cut in one direction only, not crossing each other

single file British & World English

a line of people or things arranged one behind another

single-foot British & World English

(of a horse) walk by moving both legs on each side in alternation, each foot falling separately

single malt (also single malt whisky) British & World English

whisky unblended with any other malt

single-use British & World English

designed to be used once and then disposed of or destroyed

every last or every single in every British & World English

used to emphasize that every member of a group is included

single-acting British & World English

(of an engine) having pressure applied only to one side of the piston

single-action British & World English

(of a gun) needing to be cocked by hand before it can be fired

single-blind British & World English

denoting a test or experiment in which information that may bias the results is concealed from either tester or subject

single combat British & World English

fighting between two people

single cream British & World English

thin cream with a relatively low fat content

single-decker British & World English

a bus having only one floor or level

single-ended British & World English

(of an electronic device) designed for use with unbalanced signals and therefore having one input and one output terminal connected to earth

single-entry British & World English

denoting a system of bookkeeping in which each transaction is entered in one account only

single-handed British & World English

done without help from anyone else

single-hander British & World English

a boat or other craft that can be sailed single-handed

single market British & World English

an association of countries trading with each other without restrictions or tariffs. The European single market came into effect on 1 January 1993

single-minded British & World English

concentrating on only one aim

single parent British & World English

a person bringing up a child or children without a partner

single-party British & World English

relating to or denoting a system of government where only one political party is permitted

single-seater British & World English

a vehicle or aircraft for one person

single-source British & World English

give a franchise to a single supplier for (a particular product)

single stick British & World English

a stick of about a sword’s length

single-vision British & World English

denoting glasses of which each lens is a single optical element; not bifocal

single acrostic British & World English

an acrostic using the first letter only of each line

single-breasted British & World English

(of a jacket or coat) showing only one row of buttons at the front when fastened

single currency British & World English

a currency used by all the members of an economic federation

single digging British & World English

(in gardening) digging in which only the topsoil is turned over, to the depth of one spit

single carriageway British & World English

a road with only one lane in each direction

single-cell protein British & World English

protein derived from a culture of single-celled organisms, used especially as a food supplement

single-lens reflex British & World English

denoting a reflex camera in which the lens that forms the image on the film also provides the image in the viewfinder

twelve-inch single British & World English

a record 12 inches in diameter, played at 45 rpm and typically featuring an extended or alternative version of a particular track

Single European Act British & World English

a treaty providing for the establishment of a single European market from 1 January 1993, and giving greater powers to the European Parliament. It came into force on 1 July 1987

single transferable vote British & World English

an electoral system of proportional representation in which a person’s vote can be transferred to a second or further competing candidate (according to the voter’s stated order of preference) if the candidate of first choice is eliminated during a succession of counts or has more votes than are needed for election

single nucleotide polymorphism British & World English

a variation in a single base pair in a DNA sequence

singletree British & World English

North American term for swingletree.

pneumonia British & World English

lung inflammation caused by bacterial or viral infection, in which the air sacs fill with pus and may become solid. Inflammation may affect both lungs (double pneumonia) or only one (single pneumonia)

single European currency in single currency British & World English

the currency (the euro) which replaced the national currencies of twelve member states of the European Union in 2002

single pneumonia in pneumonia British & World English

lung inflammation caused by bacterial or viral infection, in which the air sacs fill with pus and may become solid. Inflammation may affect both lungs (double pneumonia) or only one (single pneumonia)