Where does “twoscore” come from?

twoscore (English) comes from English two, from Middle English two, from Old English twā, from Old English twēġen, from Proto-West Germanic twai-, from Proto-Germanic twai, from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ — two.

twoscore (English): Forty

Definitions

  1. Forty

Ancestry of “twoscore”, step by step

twoscore traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English two

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtwoA numerical value equal to 2; this many dots;...
2Middle Englishtwotwo
3Old Englishtwātwo
4Old Englishtwēġentwo; twain
5Proto-West Germanictwai-two
6Proto-Germanictwaitwo
7Proto-Indo-Europeandwóh₁two

via English score

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishscoreThe total number of goals, points, runs, etc....
2Middle Englishscorescore
3Old Englishscorunotch; tally; score
4Old Norseskórshoe
5Proto-Germanicskōhazshoe
6Proto-Indo-Europeanskewk-
7Proto-Indo-European(s)kew-to caw, to howl; to cover, hide; to cover, hide,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁