FromMiddle Englishtweyne,tweien,twaine, fromOld Englishtwēġen m(“two”), fromProto-West Germanic*twai-, fromProto-Germanic*twai, fromProto-Indo-European*dwóh₁. Cognate withSaterland Frisiantwäin,Low Germantwene,Germanzween. More attwo.
The word outlasted the breakdown of gender in Middle English and survived as a secondary form oftwo, then especially in the cases where the numeral follows a noun. Its continuation into modern times was aided by its use inKJV, the Marriage Service, in poetry (where it is commonly used as a rhyme word), and in oral use where it is necessary to be clear thattwo and notto ortoo is meant.
twain
- (dated)two
But the warm twilight round ustwain will never rise again.
Bring me thesetwain cups of wine and water, and let us drink from the one we feel more befitting of this day.
c.1596–1598 (date written),William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act III, scene ii],page176:Since I haue your good leaue to goe away,
I will makehaſt; but till I come againe,
No bed ſhallere be guilty of my ſtay,
Nor reſt be interpoſer twixt vstwaine.
1866,Algernon Swinburne,Before Parting, lines1–2:A month ortwain to live on honeycomb
Is pleasant;
1897, Marie Corelli, “Chapter I”, inZiska: The Problem of a Wicked Soul, New York: Stone & Kimball, page25:And whenever Sir Chetwynd spoke of his "young girls" he was moved to irreverent smiling, as he knew the youngest of thetwain was at least thirty.
1900,Ernest Dowson,Amor Profanus, lines26–28:[…] all too soon wetwain shall tread
The bitter pastures of the dead:
Estranged, sad spectres of the night.
- Mark Twain: pen name of the author Samuel Langhorne Clemens. "Mark twain!" was called out by a steamship hand when thesounding depth was 2 fathoms, or 12 feet. This was the shallowest water in which most steamships could operate at full power.
twain (notcomparable)
- (rare)twofold
twain (pluraltwains)
- Pair,couple.
1903 February 8,The Truth, Sydney, page 3, column 3:The susceptibletwain, on the search for adventure, dropped in.
1897, Richard Marsh,The Beetle:Thetwain immediately proffered their companionship.
‘I will come with you,’ said Mr Lessingham.
‘And I,’ echoed Sydney.
FromMiddle Englishtwaynen, fromtwayne(“two”,numeral) (see Etymology 1 above).
twain (third-person singular simple presenttwains,present participletwaining,simple past and past participletwained)
- (transitive) Topart in twain;divide;sunder.
