English Explanatory Dictionary

twin

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. 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 twin room.
  4. A two-engine aircraft.
  5. A twin crystal.
  6. A twin size mattress; or a bed designed for such a mattress.
  7. A friendly term of address, typically for men.
verb
  1. To separate, divide.
  2. To split, part; to go away, depart.
  3. To join, unite; to form links between (now especially of two places in different countries); to pair with.
  4. To give birth to twins.
  5. To be, or be like, a twin to (someone else); to match in some way.
  6. To be, or be like, a pair of twins (for example, to dress identically); to be paired or suited.
adj
  1. Double; dual; occurring as a matching pair.
  2. Forming a pair of twins.
noun
  1. A player who plays for the Minnesota Twins.
name
  1. A town in Marion County, Alabama.

Pronunciation

twĭn /twɪn/ [tʰw̥ɪn] en-us-twin.ogg

Word forms

twin twins twynne twinning twinned

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”).

Synonyms

twindle twinling doublet twofold

Related words

twyndyllyng twain sister city

Derived words

Big Jim and the twins Catholic twin Catholic twins conjoined twin digital twin evil twin identical twin Irish twin mirror-image twin mirror twin monozygotic twin physical twin quasi-twin quaternary twin Siamese twin stuck twin syndrome time twin twin block appliance twin-born twin braids twin-cam twincest Twin Cities twindrills twin-engined Twin Falls twin flame twinjet Twin Lakes twin-lens reflex twin-masted twin oligohydramnios-polyhydramnios sequence twin paradox twin prime pair twin ship twin-ship twin speech twin-stick twin talk twin tip twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome Twin Towers twin-track twin tub twintuition vanishing twin vanishing twin syndrome twin city twin bed twin-clutch gearbox twin crystal twin-engine twinhulled twin killing twin peaks twin prime twin prime conjecture twin quasar twin room twin screw
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