duo
Pluralduos
- 1Two people considered together as a pair, especially partners who work or act together.
The writing duo split every script down the middle.
Their startup was founded by a duo who had met in graduate school.
UsagePlural duos; often with a word for the shared work: a writing duo, a comedy duo.
- 2A pair of musicians who perform together as an act.
The jazz duo improvised for nearly an hour.
Critics praised the piano-and-cello duo for their tight ensemble playing.
UsageWith a style or instruments: a jazz duo. For the piece of music, duet is clearer.
Note
Here the partnership is musical, and the word names the performers rather than what they play. The same word can also mean the two-part piece itself, so a line like "the duo was brilliant" could praise either the players or the music.
- 3A pair of things treated, sold, or used as a set, for instance matching products or furniture pieces.
The store sells the lipstick and liner as a duo for less than buying them separately.
The walnut nightstands were sold as a duo and fetched twice the estimate.
UsageUsed in product descriptions: a skincare duo, a gift duo. Pair is a neutral alternative.
Less common meanings
- 4A musical piece written in two parts; a duet.
The recital opened with a baroque duo for two cellos.
He arranged the folk tune as a duo for guitar and mandolin.
UsageDuet is the clearer word for the piece itself.
Similarduet
Note
Not always a song: a passage in The Oxford Handbook of Computer Music (2009), edited by Roger T. Dean, describes playing a duo with a violinist, where both parts are instrumental.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- The Oxford Handbook of Computer Music was first published in 2009. api.pageplace.de
- Roger T. Dean edited the book. api.pageplace.de
- A passage in the book describes playing a duo with a violinist, involving instrumental sounds in both parts. en.wiktionary.org
- 5A dish made of two paired components, often one ingredient prepared two ways.
The tasting menu ended with a duo of dark and white chocolate.
Her signature dish is a duo of seared scallops and pork belly.
UsageMostly a duo of + the food: a duo of pork, a duo of chocolate.
Similarpairing, combination
Note
Often it names one ingredient served two ways, as in a duo of pork made up of a smoked sausage and a shoulder joint. It can also join two different foods on one plate.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- The pork pairing given as an example is attested in Wiktionary. en.wiktionary.org
- 6A cocktail of any kind made by combining a spirit with a liqueur.
Practice
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Origin
This word comes from French or Italian "duo," from Latin "duo" meaning "two," tracing back through Proto-Italic to the Proto-Indo-European root *dwóh₁. It is a doublet of "two," which reached English through Proto-Germanic.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- English duo comes from French or Italian duo, ultimately from Latin duo meaning two. en.wiktionary.org
- The Latin source traces through Proto-Italic to Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁. en.wiktionary.org
- Duo is a doublet of two, which English inherited through Proto-Germanic. en.wiktionary.org