num
twain
twayn
num
1
An old-fashioned or literary word meaning "two".
"The rope was cut in twain."
noun
1
A pair; two things or people together.
""Never the twain shall meet," the saying goes."
How to Use Twain
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn old word for "two", now mostly seen in set phrases and older writing.
When to use it
Archaic and literary — rarely used outside fixed expressions like "never the twain shall meet".
Common pairings
never the twain shall meet
split in twain
Word Forms
twained past tense, twains plural, twains singular
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Etymology
From Old English twegen, "two" (masculine form), the same root behind the modern word "two"; it survived mainly in older or poetic English.