two
The number 2; one more than one.
Etymology
From Old English twā, from Proto-Germanic *twō, from PIE *dwóh₁ "two." This root is everywhere: "twin," "twelve" (two left after ten), "twenty" (two tens), "between," "twilight" (between light), "doubt" (Latin dubitāre, "to be in two minds"), "dual," "duel," "couple," "diploma" (double-folded), "dilemma" (two premises), and "balance" (bi-lanx, two plates).
The Journey: *dwóh₁ → two
*dwóh₁
*twō
twā
two
two
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *dwóh₁. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | dúo |
| Latin | duo |
| Welsh | dau |
| Hittite | da- |
| Armenian | erku |
| Sanskrit | dvā́ |
| Old Irish | dá |
| Lithuanian | du |
| Old Church Slavonic | dŭva |
Did You Know?
Doubt literally means "to be in two minds" — Latin dubitāre from duo "two." Twilight is "between-light" (two-light). And the w in "two" was once pronounced; it still is in "twin," "twelve," "twenty," and "between," all from the same root.
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *dwóh₁. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.