Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Twin

Twin

(twĭn)
,
Adj.
[OE.
twin
double, AS.
getwinne
two and two, pl., twins; akin to D.
tweeling
a twin, G.
zwilling
, OHG.
zwiniling
, Icel.
tvennr
,
tvinnr
, two and two, twin, and to AS.
twi-
two. See
Twice
,
Two
.]
1.
Being one of two born at a birth;
as, a
twin
brother or sister
.
2.
Being one of a pair much resembling one another; standing in the relation of a twin to something else; – often followed by to or with.
Shak.
3.
(Bot.)
Double; consisting of two similar and corresponding parts.
4.
(Crystallog.)
Composed of parts united according to some definite law of twinning. See
Twin
,
Noun.
, 4.
Twin boat
, or
Twin ship
(Naut.)
,
a vessel whose deck and upper works rest on two parallel hulls.
–
Twin crystal
.
See
Twin
,
Noun.
, 4.
–
Twin flower
(Bot.)
,
a delicate evergreen plant (
Linnaea borealis
) of northern climates, which has pretty, fragrant, pendulous flowers borne in pairs on a slender stalk.
–
Twin-screw steamer
,
a steam vessel propelled by two screws, one on either side of the plane of the keel.

Twin

,
Noun.
1.
One of two produced at a birth, especially by an animal that ordinarily brings forth but one at a birth; – used chiefly in the plural, and applied to the young of beasts as well as to human young.
2.
pl.
(Astron.)
A sign and constellation of the zodiac; Gemini. See
Gemini
.
3.
A person or thing that closely resembles another.
4.
(Crystallog.)
A compound crystal composed of two or more crystals, or parts of crystals, in reversed position with reference to each other.
☞ The relative position of the parts of a twin may be explained by supposing one part to be revolved 180° about a certain axis (called the twinning axis), this axis being normal to a plane (called the twinning plane) which is usually one of the fundamental planes of the crystal. This revolution brings the two parts into parallel position, or vice versa. A contact twin is one in which the parts are united by a plane surface, called the composition face, which is usually the same as the twinning plane. A penetration twin is one in which the parts interpenetrate each other, often very irregularly. Twins are also called, according to form, cruciform, geniculated, etc.

Twin

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Twinned
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Twinning
.]
1.
To bring forth twins.
Tusser.
2.
To be born at the same birth.
Shak.

Twin

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To cause to be twins, or like twins in any way.
Shak.
Still we moved
Together,
twinned
, as horse’s ear and eye.
Tennyson.
2.
To separate into two parts; to part; to divide; hence, to remove; also, to strip; to rob.
[Obs.]
The life out of her body for to
twin
.
Chaucer.

Twin

,
Verb.
I.
To depart from a place or thing.
[Obs.]
“Ere that we farther twin.”
Chaucer.

Webster 1828 Edition

Twin

TWIN

, n.
1.
One of two young produced at a birth by an animal that ordinarily brings but one; used mostly in the plural, twins; applied to the young of beasts, as well as to human beings.
2.
A sign of the zodiac; Gemini.
3.
One very much resembling another.

TWIN

,
Adj.
Noting one of two born at a birth; as a twin brother or sister.
1.
Very much resembling.
2.
In botany, swelling out into two protuberances, as an anther or germ.

TWIN

,
Verb.
I.
To be born at the same birth.
1.
To bring two at once.
2.
To be paired; to be suited. [This verb is little used.]

TWIN

,
Verb.
T.
To separate into two parts.

Definition 2024

Twin

Twin

See also: twin and twin-

English

Noun

Twin ‎(plural Twins)

  1. (baseball) A player that plays for the Minnesota Twins.

twin

twin

See also: Twin and twin-

English

Alternative forms

Noun

twin ‎(plural twins)

  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. (US) A twin size mattress or a bed designed for such a mattress.
  5. (crystallography) A twin crystal.
  6. (modifier) Forming a pair of twins.
    the twin boys
  7. (modifier) Forming a matched pair.
    twin socks

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Synonyms

Translations

See also

Verb

twin ‎(third-person singular simple present twins, present participle twinning, simple past and past participle twinned)

  1. (transitive, obsolete outside Scotland) To separate, divide.
  2. (intransitive, obsolete outside Scotland) To split, part; to go away, depart.
  3. (usually in the passive) To join, unite; to form links between (now especially of two places in different countries).
    Placetown in England is twinned with Machinville in France.
    For example, Coventry twinned with Dresden as an act of peace and reconciliation, both cities having been heavily bombed during the war.
    • Tennyson
      Still we moved / Together, twinned, as horse's ear and eye.
  4. (intransitive) To give birth to twins.
    • 1874, Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd
      “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.”
  5. (intransitive, obsolete) To be born at the same birth.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

See also

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /twɪn/
  • Rhymes: -ɪn

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