Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “twofold” come from?

Twofold comes from Middle English twofold, from Old English twēofeald, meaning having or consisting of two parts or elements.

twofold (English): Double; duplicate; multiplied by two; Having two...

Definitions

  1. Double; duplicate; multiplied by two; Having two...

Ancestry of “twofold”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtwofold—
2Middle Englishtwifold—
3Old Englishtwifealdtwofold, double, twice as much, twice the amount,...
4Proto-Germanictwifaldaztwofold; double
5Proto-Germanictwi-two, double
6Proto-Indo-Europeandwi-two; apart, asunder
7Proto-Indo-Europeandwóh₁two

Words derived from “twofold”

  • twofoldness
  • twofoldedness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ →