Where does “tween” come from?

tween (English) comes from English twenty, from Middle English twenty, from Old English twēntiġ, from Proto-Germanic twai tigiwiz, from Proto-Germanic twai, from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ — two.

tween (English): An action of tweening (inserting frames for continuity); a sequence of frames generated by tweening

Definitions

  1. An action of tweening (inserting frames for continuity); a sequence of frames generated by tweening

Ancestry of “tween”, step by step

tween traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English twenty

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtwentyThe cardinal number 20, occurring after nineteen...
2Middle EnglishtwentyAlternative form of twenti
3Old Englishtwēntiġtwenty
4Proto-Germanictwai tigiwiztwenty
5Proto-Germanictwaitwo
6Proto-Indo-Europeandwóh₁two

via English teen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishteenA teenager; Of or having to do with teenagers;...
2Middle Englishtenen
3Old Englishtȳnanto slander, vex
4Proto-West Germanic*tūnijanto enclose, put a fence around

via English in between

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishin betweenBetween; In the space between

Words derived from “tween

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁