twin

noun
/twɪn/

Etymology

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English twinne, twynne, from Old English ġetwin, ġetwinn (“twin, multiple”, noun) and twinn (“twin, two-fold, double, two by two”, adjective), from Proto-Germanic *twinaz (“double/two each, twin”), Proto-Germanic *twinjaz, *twīhnaz (“two each”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwino- (“twin”), from *dwóh₁ (“two”). Cognate with Scots twyn (“twin”), Dutch tweeling (“twin”), German Zwilling (“twin”), Danish tvilling (“twin”), Swedish tvilling (“twin”), Faroese tvinnur (“a double set”), Icelandic tvenna (“duo, pair”), Lithuanian dvynys (“twin”), Russian двойня (dvojnja, “twin”).

  1. derived from *dwino-
  2. inherited from *twinjaz
  3. inherited from *twinaz — “double/two each, twin
  4. inherited from ġetwin
  5. inherited from twinne

Definitions

  1. Either of two people (or, less commonly, animals) who shared the same uterus at the same…

    Either of two people (or, less commonly, animals) who shared the same uterus at the same time; one who was born at the same birth as a sibling.

  2. Either of two similar or closely related objects, entities etc.

  3. A room in a hotel, guesthouse, etc. with two beds

    A room in a hotel, guesthouse, etc. with two beds; a twin room.

  4. + 14 more definitions
    1. A two-engine aircraft.

    2. A twin crystal.

    3. A twin size mattress

      A twin size mattress; or a bed designed for such a mattress.

    4. A friendly term of address, typically for men.

    5. To separate, divide.

    6. To split, part

      To split, part; to go away, depart.

    7. To join, unite

      To join, unite; to form links between (now especially of two places in different countries); to pair with.

      • Reading, the English town, is twinned with Clonmel in Ireland.
      • Coventry twinned with Dresden as an act of peace and reconciliation, both cities having been heavily bombed during the war.
      • Still we moved / Together, twinned, as horse's ear and eye.
    8. To give birth to twins.

      • “I’ve run to tell ye,” said the junior shepherd, supporting his exhausted youthful frame against the doorpost, “that you must come directly. Two more ewes have twinned — that’s what’s the matter, Shepherd Oak.”
      • Twinning today is abnormal in all higher primates, and possibly adaptive only in the one species with an obstetrical technology that permits a high rate of survival of twins.
    9. To be, or be like, a twin to (someone else)

      To be, or be like, a twin to (someone else); to match in some way.

      • The invert child and her innocent child are together lost children, twinning each other despite their distinctions.
      • I was awake to the horror of our twinning each other in paralysis, and feared that we would soon talk only about the daily, intimate care serious paralysis demands […]
    10. To be, or be like, a pair of twins (for example, to dress identically)

      To be, or be like, a pair of twins (for example, to dress identically); to be paired or suited.

      • “I see you got us twinning today.” Byrd kissed Lay quickly. “I wanted you to dress like me today,” he admitted.
      • “We're totally twinning today!” said Zoey. “You sure are,” said Chef Piper. “I whipped up a special dessert for tonight.”
    11. Double

      Double; dual; occurring as a matching pair.

      • twin beds, twin socks
    12. Forming a pair of twins.

      • the twin boys
    13. A player who plays for the Minnesota Twins.

    14. A town in Marion County, Alabama.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for twin. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA