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Added 7 October 2026

double

/ˈdʌb.əl/ adjective

In Latin: duplex Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about double at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Made up of two matching or complementary elements.
The closet has double doors.
Of twice the quantity.
Give me a double serving of mashed potatoes.
Of a family relationship, related on both the maternal and paternal sides of a family.
He's my double cousin as my mother's sister married my father's brother.

adverb

Twice over; twofold; doubly.
Two together; two at a time.
When I met the twins, I thought I was seeing double.
Into two halves or sections.
The old man was bent double under his heavy burden.

noun

Twice the number, amount, size, etc.
I did double his sales this month.
A person who resembles and stands in for another person, often for safety purposes
Saddam Hussein was rumored to have many doubles.
A drink with two portions of alcohol.
On second thought, make that a double.

verb

To multiply by two.
The company doubled their earnings per share over last quarter.
To increase by 100%, to become twice as large in size.
Our earnings have doubled in the last year.
To be the double of; to exceed by twofold; to contain or be worth twice as much as.

Origin

PIE word *dwóh₁ Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *-plos Proto-Indo-European *dwiplós Proto-Italic *dwiplos Proto-Italic *duplos Latin duplus Old French dobleder. Middle English double English double From Middle English double, from Old French doble, double, from Latin duplus (“twofold”). Doublet of doppio and duple.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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