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Webster 1913 Edition

Twain

Twain

(twān)
,
Adj.
&
Noun.
[OE.
twein
,
tweien
,
tweyne
, AS.
twēgen
, masc. See
Two
.]
Two; – nearly obsolete in common discourse, but used in poetry and burlesque.
“Children twain.”
Chaucer.
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him
twain
.
Matt. v. 41.
In twain
,
in halves; into two parts; asunder.

When old winter split the rocks in
twain
.
Dryden.
–
Twain cloud
.
(Meteor.)
Same as
Cumulo-stratus
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Twain

TWAIN

,
Adj.
or n. Two.
When old winter splits the rocks in twain.
[Nearly obsolete in common discourse, but used in poetry and burlesque.]

Definition 2024

Twain

Twain

See also: twain, TWAIN, and twäin

English

Proper noun

Twain

  1. A surname​.

twain

twain

See also: Twain, TWAIN, and twäin

English

Numeral

twain

  1. (dated) two
    But the warm twilight round us twain will never rise again.
    Bring me these twain cups of wine and water, and let us drink from the one we feel more befitting of this day.
    • 1866, Algernon Swinburne, Before Parting, lines 1-2
      A month or twain to live on honeycomb
      Is pleasant;
    • 1889, Rudyard Kipling, The Ballad of East and West, line 1
      Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.
    • 1900, Ernest Dowson, Amor Profanus, lines 26-28
      […] all too soon we twain shall tread
      The bitter pastures of the dead:
      Estranged, sad spectres of the night.
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle English twaynen, from twayne ‎(“two”, numeral).

Verb

twain ‎(third-person singular simple present twains, present participle twaining, simple past and past participle twained)

  1. (transitive) To part in twain; divide; sunder.

See also

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English tweyne, tweien, twaine, from Old English twēġen ‎(“two”, masc), from Proto-Germanic *twai, from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁. Cognate with Low German twene, German zween, Swedish tvenne . More at two.

The word outlasted the breakdown of gender in Middle English and survived as a secondary form of two, then especially in the cases where the numeral follows a noun. Its continuation into modern times was aided by its use in KJV, the Marriage Service, in poetry (where it's commonly used as a rhyme word), and in oral use where it is necessary to be clear that two and not "to" or "too" is meant.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /tweɪn/
  • Rhymes: -eɪn

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