- individual
- "a single object or thing," c.1600, from M.L. individualis, from L. individuus "indivisible," from in- "not" + dividuus "divisible," from dividere "divide." Colloquial sense of "person" is attested from 1742. As an adj., used from early 15c. meaning "one and indivisible" (with ref. to the Trinity). Sense of "single, separate" is 1610s; meaning "intended for one person" is from 1889.
"A majority can never replace the individual. ... Just as a hundred fools do not make one wise man, a heroic decision is not likely to come from a hundred cowards." [Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf," 1933]