Uns

/ʌnz/ pronoun

Definition

Dialectal or informal plural of 'one' used in some English-speaking regions to mean 'those people or things; ones.'

Etymology

From 'one' + plural '-s' or '-ns'. This is a dialectal survival from Middle English and Scottish English where 'anes' or 'uns' were standard. It appears in working-class and regional speech patterns.

Kelly Says

Uns is disappearing from English because standard education discourages dialect words, but it shows how some English speakers still maintain 700-year-old grammar patterns in casual speech!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.