Etymology Dictionary

ALONE,  quite by oneself.  (E.)   M.E. al one, written apart, and even with a word intervening between them.   Ex. 'al himself one' = himself alone; Will. of Palerne, 3316.   [The al is also frequently omitted.   Ex. 'left was he one,' he was left alone, id. 211.]   The M.E. al is mod. E. all; but the spelling with one l is correct.   See All and One.   ¶ The word one was formerly pronounced own, riming with bone; and was frequently spelt oon.   The M.E. one was dissyllabic (pron. own-y), the e representing A.S. -a in the word ána, a secondary form from A.S. án, one; see examples of ána in the sense of 'alone' in Grein, i. 31, 32.   The old pronunciation is retained in al-one, at-one, on-ly.   ➩ Alone is further connected with lonely and lone; see Lone.