two

The digit/figure 2.

Noun

  1. The digit/figure 2.
    • The number 2202 contains three twos.
    • In our example, 1210 has 1 zero, 2 ones, 1 two and 0 threes. […] The number has 2 twos. - 2008 March 2, Tanya Khovanova, “Autobiographical Numbers”, in arXiv, pages 1, 2:
  2. A two-dollar bill.
  3. A child aged two.
    • This toy is suitable for the twos and threes.
  4. A playing card featuring two pips.

    Synonyms: deuce

  5. Two o'clock, either a.m. or p.m.
    • It was a weary time. A carriage clock had been placed on the discoloured wooden mantelpiece, and slowly its hands crept on from one to two and from two to three. - 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “In which...
  6. Ellipsis of two shot.

Origin

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English two, twa, from Old English twā, feminine and neuter of twēġen (whence twain), from Proto-West Germanic *twai-, from Proto-Germanic *twai, from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁. Cognates Cognate with Scots twa (“two”); North Frisian tou, tuu (“two”); Saterland Frisian twäin, two (“two”); West Frisian twa (“two”); Dutch twee (“two”); Low German twee, twei (“two”); German zwei, zwo (“two”); Danish and Norwegian to (“two”); Swedish två, tu (“two”); Icelandic tvö (“two”); Faroese tvey (“two”); Latin duō (“two”); Ancient Greek δύο (dúo, “two”); Irish dhá (“two”); Lithuanian dù (“two”); Russian два (dva, “two”); Albanian dy (“two”); Old Armenian երկու (erku, “two”); Sanskrit द्व (dvá, “two”); Tocharian A wu, Tocharian B wi. Doublet of duo. See also twain. Unrelated to resembling words in Austronesian languages, including Malagasy roa; Cebuano and Tagalog dalawa;...

Forms

twos twain twey tew

Related

2 2nd both couple double dual pair second twain twi- twice twin two-

Derived

two-up two's complement

Numeral

  1. A numerical value equal to 2; this many dots (••).
    • Venters began to count them—one—two—three—four—on up to sixteen. - 1912 January, Zane Grey, chapter 8, in Riders of the Purple Sage […], New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC:
  2. Describing a set or group with two elements.
    • “[…]The two murders might have been done by one of the ryots who was dissatisfied over his assessment and thought he had a grievance. […].” - 1927, F. E. Penny, chapter 5, in Pulling the Strings:
    • The surveillance program includes at least 480 LPRs that scan and record about 16.2 million vehicles per week and stores that data for two years, he wrote in the court filing. - 2023 July 24, Chris Eberhart, “NY police...

Forms

twain twey tew

Related

Table of cardinal numbers 0 to 9 in various languages

Derived

a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush all-in-two all-in-two diaper all-in-two nappy a thing or two at ten and two Aztec two-step baddy two shoes beast with two backs bent as a two bob better one word in time than two afterwards between two stools big two blues and twos Boettger's two-headed snake caught between two stools couldn't organise a two-ticket raffle cross as two sticks difference of two squares do number two easy as one two three eat for two every stick has two ends fall between two stools

Wikipedia

Two