# twin

Pronunciation: say "TWIN" /twɪn/

## Noun

1. One of two offspring who developed in the same womb and were born at the same birth.
   - Simple: One of two children born to the same mother at the same birth.
   - _His twin studied medicine while he went into music._
   - _Identical twins share nearly the same genetic makeup._
4. One of two objects or entities that closely resemble or are closely related to each other.
   - Simple: One of two things that look alike or are closely matched.
   - _Scientists hunt for a planetary twin of Earth orbiting another star._
   - _The two cottages are near twins, differing only in the color of their doors._
5. A mattress in the smallest standard size, or a bed built to take one such mattress. *(US)*
   - Simple: A single bed or mattress, made for one person, in the smallest standard size.
   - _The dorm room came furnished with two twins and a single desk._
   - _We replaced the old twin with a larger bed when he turned twelve._
6. A room in a hotel or guesthouse furnished with two separate beds.
   - Simple: A hotel room that has two separate single beds.
   - _The travel agent reserved a twin overlooking the harbor._
   - _Their package included three nights in a twin with breakfast._
8. A friendly term used to address someone, typically a man, marking closeness or camaraderie. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A casual, friendly word used to greet or address someone, usually a man.
   - _Appreciate you showing up for me today, twin._
   - _Hold up, twin, let me grab my jacket._
11. An aircraft powered by two engines.
   - Simple: An airplane that has two engines.
   - _The charter company operates a fleet of turboprop twins._
   - _She earned the rating to fly a twin last summer._

## Adjective

2. Occurring as a matching pair; double or dual.
   - Simple: Coming as a matching pair, or having two of the same part.
   - _The cathedral's twin spires dominate the city skyline._
   - _The system uses twin pumps so one can take over if the other fails._
3. Being one of a pair of siblings born together at the same birth.
   - Simple: Born at the same birth as another child, as part of a pair.
   - _The twin daughters were raised in different countries after the divorce._
   - _Their twin sons enrolled in the same college but chose rival majors._

## Verb

7. To join or unite; to form official links between two places, now especially towns in different countries; to pair with.
   - Simple: To form an official friendly link between two towns or places in different countries.
   - _The two cities decided to twin in order to share cultural programs._
   - _Oxford is twinned with several European towns._
9. To be a twin to, or closely resemble, someone or something; to match, for example by dressing alike or being well suited.
   - Simple: To be very much like someone or something, or to match them, for example by wearing the same clothes.
   - _My sister and I were twinning in matching yellow raincoats._
   - _My sister and I like to twin in matching denim jackets on the first day of school._
10. To bring forth two offspring in a single birth.
   - Simple: To give birth to two babies at the same time.
   - _Among sheep, certain breeds twin far more often than others._
   - _The doe twinned, surprising the farmer who expected a single fawn._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A composite crystal of two or more intergrown parts of the same substance, whose orientations are related by a definite symmetry operation such as reflection, rotation, or inversion.
- (verb) (archaic or Scottish) To separate or part; to divide one thing from another, or to go apart and leave.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 4–11** — From Middle English twinne, from Old English ġetwin ('twin', noun) and twinn ('double, two-fold', adjective), from Proto-Germanic *twinjaz ('two each') and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *dwóh₁ ('two'). It is related to German Zwilling, Dutch tweeling, and Swedish tvilling, all meaning 'twin'.
**Meanings 2–3** — From Middle English, from the Old English adjective twin, twinn ('twin; double'), from Proto-Germanic *twīhnaz ('occurring in a pair; twofold') and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *dwóh₁ ('two'). It is related to Icelandic tvennur ('double') and Gothic tweihnai ('two each').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/twin (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).