duo

See also: Appendix:Variations of "duo"

English

Etymology

PIE word
*dwóh₁

From French duo or Italian duo, from Latin duo (“two”), from Proto-Italic *duō, from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁. Doublet of two, which was inherited via Proto-Germanic.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdjuː.əʊ/, /ˈdʒuː.əʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈdu.oʊ/, /ˈdju.oʊ/
• Rhymes: -uːəʊ

English numbers ^(edit)

←  1	2	3  → [a], [b]
Cardinal: two     Ordinal: second     Latinate ordinal: secondary     Reverse order ordinal: second to last, second from last, last but one     Latinate reverse order ordinal: penultimate     Adverbial: two times, twice     Multiplier: twofold     Latinate multiplier: double     Distributive: doubly     Germanic collective: pair, twosome     Collective of n parts: doublet, couple, couplet     Greek or Latinate collective: dyad     Metric collective prefix: double-     Greek collective prefix: di-, duo-     Latinate collective prefix: bi-     Fractional: half     Metric fractional prefix: demi-     Latinate fractional prefix: semi-     Greek fractional prefix: hemi-     Elemental: twin, doublet     Greek prefix: deutero-     Number of musicians: duo, duet, duplet     Number of years: biennium

Noun

duo (plural duos)

1. Two people who work or collaborate together as partners; especially, those who perform music together.
2. Any pair of two people.
3. Any cocktail consisting of a spirit and a liqueur.
4. A song in two parts; a duet.
   • 2009, Roger T. Dean, The Oxford Handbook of Computer Music:

     I noticed early on, in playing a duo with a violinist, that when a very cheesy synthesized violin sound plays in counterpoint with a real violin, it can quite convincingly seem as if two violins are playing.

Synonyms

• (pair of two people): couple, pair, twosome; see also Thesaurus:duo

Derived terms

• comedy duo
• dufoil
• lip duo
• super-duo
• super-duo

 

Related terms

• duet

Translations

twosome, especially musicians

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 二重唱 (zh) (èrchóngchàng) (vocal), 二重奏 (zh) (èrchóngzòu) (instrumental)

• Czech: duo (cs) n
• Danish: duo (da) c
• Dutch: duo (nl) n, paar (nl) n, koppel (nl) n
• Esperanto: duopo
• Finnish: duo (fi)
• French: duo (fr) m
• German: Duo (de) n
• Hebrew: צמד (he) m (tsémed)
• Hungarian: duó (hu)
• Icelandic: dúó n, par (is) n
• Italian: duo (it) m, duetto (it) m
• Japanese: 二重唱 (ja) (にじゅうしょう, nijūshō) (vocal), 二重奏 (ja) (にじゅうそう, nijūsō) (instrumental), デュオ (ja) (dyuo), デュエット (ja) (dyuetto)
• Maori: takirua, tokorua
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: duo (no) m

  Nynorsk: duo m

• Portuguese: dupla (pt) f, par (pt) m
• Russian: дуэ́т (ru) m (duét), дво́йка (ru) f (dvójka), (collective) дво́е (ru) pl (dvóje), па́ра (ru) f (pára)
• Slovene: duet m
• Spanish: dúo (es) m, dupla (es) f, equipo de dos m
• Swedish: duo (sv) c

any pair of two people

• Finnish: pari (fi), parivaljakko (fi)

cocktail consisting of a spirit and a liqueur

song in two parts — see duet

See also

• trio
• quartet
• Thesaurus:number

Anagrams

• udo, oud, ODU

Central Dusun

Central Dusun numbers ^(edit)

←  1	2	3  →
Cardinal: duo     Ordinal: koduo

Alternative forms

• duwo

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *duha, from Proto-Austronesian *duSa.

Numeral

duo

1. two

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈduo]
• Hyphenation: duo

Noun

duo n

1. duet

   Synonym: duet

Declension

Declension of duo (semisoft neuter)

	singular	plural
nominative	duo	dua
genitive	dua	duí
dative	duu	duím, duům
accusative	duo	dua
vocative	duo	dua
locative	duu	duích, duech
instrumental	duem	dui, duy

Related terms

• dualismus
• dualista
• dualistický
• dualita
• duál
• duální

 

Further reading

• “duo”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “duo”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Dutch

Etymology

From French duo or Italian duo, from Latin duo (“two”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdy(ʋ)oː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: duo

Noun

duo n (plural duo's, diminutive duootje n)

1. twosome

Synonyms

• tweetal

Derived terms

• cabaretduo
• duobaan
• duomoeder
• duoraadslid
• duovader
• zangduo

 

Related terms

• duet

Anagrams

• oud

Esperanto

Etymology

From du +‎ -o.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): [ˈduo]
• Rhymes: -uo
• Hyphenation: du‧o

Noun

duo (accusative singular duon, plural duoj, accusative plural duojn)

1. twosome, pair, couple

   Synonyms: duopo, paro

2. the digit or figure two

See also

Playing cards in Esperanto · ludkartoj (layout · text)
aso	duo	trio	kvaro	kvino	seso	sepo
oko	naŭo	deko	fanto, bubo	damo	reĝo	ĵokero

Finnish

Etymology

< Italian duo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdu(ː)o/, [ˈdu(ː)o̞]
• Rhymes: -uo
• Syllabification^(key): duo

Noun

duo

1. duo (twosome of musicians performing together)
2. Synonym of kaksikko (“twosome, pair”) (often with a modifier)

   Kokkiduo Erkki ja Klaara ovat kumppaneita niin keittiössä kuin elämässään.

   The chef duo Eric and Clara are partners in the kitchen as well as in their lives.

Declension

Inflection of duo (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
nominative		duo	duot
genitive		duon	duojen
partitive		duoa	duoja
illative		duoon	duoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		duo	duot
accusative	nom.	duo	duot
	gen.	duon
genitive		duon	duojen
partitive		duoa	duoja
inessive		duossa	duoissa
elative		duosta	duoista
illative		duoon	duoihin
adessive		duolla	duoilla
ablative		duolta	duoilta
allative		duolle	duoille
essive		duona	duoina
translative		duoksi	duoiksi
abessive		duotta	duoitta
instructive		—	duoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of duo (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative duoni duoni accusative nom. duoni duoni gen. duoni genitive duoni duojeni partitive duoani duojani inessive duossani duoissani elative duostani duoistani illative duooni duoihini adessive duollani duoillani ablative duoltani duoiltani allative duolleni duoilleni essive duonani duoinani translative duokseni duoikseni abessive duottani duoittani instructive — — comitative — duoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative duosi duosi accusative nom. duosi duosi gen. duosi genitive duosi duojesi partitive duoasi duojasi inessive duossasi duoissasi elative duostasi duoistasi illative duoosi duoihisi adessive duollasi duoillasi ablative duoltasi duoiltasi allative duollesi duoillesi essive duonasi duoinasi translative duoksesi duoiksesi abessive duottasi duoittasi instructive — — comitative — duoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative duomme duomme accusative nom. duomme duomme gen. duomme genitive duomme duojemme partitive duoamme duojamme inessive duossamme duoissamme elative duostamme duoistamme illative duoomme duoihimme adessive duollamme duoillamme ablative duoltamme duoiltamme allative duollemme duoillemme essive duonamme duoinamme translative duoksemme duoiksemme abessive duottamme duoittamme instructive — — comitative — duoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative duonne duonne accusative nom. duonne duonne gen. duonne genitive duonne duojenne partitive duoanne duojanne inessive duossanne duoissanne elative duostanne duoistanne illative duoonne duoihinne adessive duollanne duoillanne ablative duoltanne duoiltanne allative duollenne duoillenne essive duonanne duoinanne translative duoksenne duoiksenne abessive duottanne duoittanne instructive — — comitative — duoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative duonsa duonsa accusative nom. duonsa duonsa gen. duonsa genitive duonsa duojensa partitive duoaan duoansa duojaan duojansa inessive duossaan duossansa duoissaan duoissansa elative duostaan duostansa duoistaan duoistansa illative duoonsa duoihinsa adessive duollaan duollansa duoillaan duoillansa ablative duoltaan duoltansa duoiltaan duoiltansa allative duolleen duollensa duoilleen duoillensa essive duonaan duonansa duoinaan duoinansa translative duokseen duoksensa duoikseen duoiksensa abessive duottaan duottansa duoittaan duoittansa instructive — — comitative — duoineen duoinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• duoraitiovaunu
• viuluduo

 

Further reading

• “duo”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian duo. Doublet of deux.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɥo/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

duo m (plural duos)

1. duo (combination of two things)
2. (music) duet (a musical composition for two performers)

Descendants

• → Romanian: duo

See also

• solo, trio

Further reading

• “duo”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• d’où

Interlingua

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin duo (“two”).

Numeral

duo

1. two

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin duo (“two”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdu.o/
• Rhymes: -uo
• Hyphenation: dù‧o

Numeral

duo (invariable)

1. (obsolete) Alternative form of due

Noun

duo m (invariable)

1. (obsolete) Alternative form of due
2. duo

   Synonym: duetto

3. (music) duet

   Synonym: duetto

Related terms

• due

Descendants

• → English: duo
• → Finnish: duo
• → French: duo
  • → Romanian: duo
• → Norwegian:
  • Norwegian Bokmål: duo
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: duo
• → Polish: duo
• → Portuguese: duo
• → Swedish: duo

Further reading

• Prose della volgar lingua[2], 3.II

Anagrams

• udo-

Latin

Latin numbers ^(edit)

	20
←  1	II 2	3  →
Cardinal: duo     Ordinal: secundus, alter     Adverbial: bis     Proportional: duplus     Multiplier: duplex, alterplex, biplex     Distributive: bīnus     Collective: bīniō     Fractional: dīmidius, sēmis

Alternative forms

• Symbol: II

Etymology

PIE word
*dwóh₁

From Proto-Italic *duō, from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ (which was inflected as a dual). Cognates include Ancient Greek δύο (dúo), Sanskrit द्व (dvá), Old Church Slavonic дъва (dŭva), and Old English twā (whence English two).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈdu.o/, [ˈd̪uɔ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈdu.o/, [ˈd̪uːo]

Numeral

duo (feminine duae, neuter duo); numeral, plural only

1. two; 2
   • 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita 45:

     Dixit duas res ei rubori fuisse.

     He said that two things had abashed him.

   • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Zacharias.4.12:

     et respondi secundo et dixi ad eum quid sunt duae spicae olivarum quae sunt iuxta duo rostra aurea in quibus sunt suffusoria ex auro

     And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?

   • 1500, Desiderius Erasmus, Adagia:

     Ne Hercules quidem adversus duos.

     "Not even Hercules fights against two."

Usage notes

• See Appendix:Latin cardinal numbers.

Declension

Numeral, plural only.

Number	Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	duo	duae	duo
Genitive	duōrum	duārum	duōrum
Dative	duōbus	duābus	duōbus
Accusative	duōs duo	duās	duo
Ablative	duōbus	duābus	duōbus
Vocative	duo	duae	duo

Note: The masculine and neuter genitive of duo can alternatively be duum (also spelt duûm).

Derived terms

• duabus sellis sedeo

Related terms

• duālis
• duplex
• duplicō
• duplus

 

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • Aromanian: doi m, dao f, dau f, dauã f, doauã f
  • Istro-Romanian: doi
  • Megleno-Romanian: doi, doauă
  • Romanian: doi m, două f
• Dalmatian Romance:
  • Dalmatian: doi
  • Istriot: dui, duj
• Italo-Romance:
  • Corsican: dui m, duie f
  • Italian: due, duo, ⇒ duetto (see there for further descendants)
  • Neapolitan: dduje
  • Sicilian: dui
• Padanian:
  • Rhaeto-Romance
    • Friulian: doi, dôs
    • Ladin: doi
    • Romansch: dus m, duas f
  • Gallo-Italic
    • Piedmontese: doi
    • Venetan: do m, due f
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Franco-Provençal: doux m, doves f
  • Old French: deus
    • Middle French: deus
      • French: deux
      • Norman: deux, daeux
    • Walloon: deus
• Occitano-Romance:
  • Catalan: dos m, dues f
  • Old Occitan: dos m, doas f, doi
    • Occitan: dos m, doas f, dui, doi, (Aranese) dus
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Aragonese: dos
  • Old Leonese:
    • Asturian: dos
    • Mirandese: dous m, dues f
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: dous m, duas f
    • Fala: dois
    • Galician: dous
    • Portuguese: dois, dous (dated)
    • Galician: dúas
    • Portuguese: duas
  • Old Spanish: dos
    • Ladino: dos
    • Spanish: dos
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: duos, duas
• Constructed languages:
  • → Esperanto: du
  • → Ido: du
  • → Interlingua: duo

See also

• Appendix:Latin cardinal numbers

References

• “duo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “duo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• duo in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• duo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[3], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to divide into two factions: in duas partes discedere (Sall. Iug. 13. 1)
    
  • to form two legions: efficere duas legiones
    

Mandarin

Romanization

duo (duo⁵／duo⁰, Zhuyin ˙ㄉㄨㄛ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 𦕰

duo

1. Nonstandard spelling of duō.
2. Nonstandard spelling of duó.
3. Nonstandard spelling of duǒ.
4. Nonstandard spelling of duò.

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Minangkabau

Minangkabau cardinal numbers

<  1	2	3  >
Cardinal : duo     Ordinal : kaduo

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *dua, from Proto-Malayo-Chamic *dua, from Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan *dua, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *duha, from Proto-Austronesian *duSa. False cognate of Latin duo.

Numeral

duo

1. two

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Italian duo.

Noun

duo m (definite singular duoen, indefinite plural duoer, definite plural duoene)

1. a duo (a group of two entertainers, or a piece of music for two musical instruments (also known as a duet))

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Italian duo.

Noun

duo m (definite singular duoen, indefinite plural duoar, definite plural duoane)

1. a duo (as above)

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian duo, from Latin duo, from Proto-Italic *duō, from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁. Doublet of dwa (“two”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdu.ɔ/
• Rhymes: -uɔ
• Syllabification: du‧o

Noun

duo n (indeclinable)

1. (music) duo (group of two musicians)

   Synonym: duet

2. (music) duo (piece of music written for two musicians)

   Synonym: duet

3. duo (group of two people or things)

   Synonym: duet

Further reading

• duo in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian duo.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈdu.u/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈdu.u/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈdu.o/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈdu.u/, /ˈdu.ɔ/

Noun

duo m (plural duos)

1. duo

   Synonym: dupla

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French duo.

Noun

duo n (plural duouri)

1. duet

Declension

Declension of duo

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) duo	duoul	(niște) duouri	duourile
genitive/dative	(unui) duo	duoului	(unor) duouri	duourilor
vocative	duoule		duourilor

Swedish

Etymology

From Italian duo.

Noun

duo c

1. a duo

Declension

Declension of duo

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	duo	duos
	definite	duon	duons
plural	indefinite	duor	duors
	definite	duorna	duornas

See also

• bisittare
• duett
• följeslagare
• parhäst
• radarpar
• vapendragare

References

• duo in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• duo in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• duo in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Welsh

Etymology

du (“black”) +‎ -o

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈdɨː.ɔ/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈdiː.ɔ/

Verb

duo (first-person singular present duaf)

1. (intransitive)
   1. to become black, to blacken (also figuratively)
   2. to grow dark

      Synonym: nosi

2. (transitive) to make black, to blacken (also figuratively)

Conjugation

Conjugation (literary)

	singular			plural			impersonal
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present indicative/future	duaf	dui	dua	duwn	duwch	duant	duir
imperfect (indicative/subjunctive)/ conditional	duwn	duit	duai	duem	duech	duent	duid
preterite	duais	duaist	duodd	duasom	duasoch	duasant	duwyd
pluperfect	duaswn	duasit	duasai	duasem	duasech	duasent	duasid, duesid
present subjunctive	duwyf	duych	duo	duom	duoch	duont	duer
imperative	—	dua	dued	duwn	duwch	duent	duer
verbal noun	duo
verbal adjectives	duedig duadwy

Conjugation (colloquial)

Inflected colloquial forms	singular			plural
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	dua i, duaf i	dui di	duith o/e/hi, duiff e/hi	duwn ni	duwch chi	duan nhw
conditional	duwn i, duswn i	duet ti, duset ti	duai fo/fe/hi, dusai fo/fe/hi	duen ni, dusen ni	duech chi, dusech chi	duen nhw, dusen nhw
preterite	duais i, dues i	duaist ti, duest ti	duodd o/e/hi	duon ni	duoch chi	duon nhw
imperative	—	dua	—	—	duwch	—
Note: All other forms are periphrastic, as usual in colloquial Welsh.

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
duo	dduo	nuo	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “duo”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

West Coast Bajau

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *duha, from Proto-Austronesian *duSa.

Numeral

duo

1. two

Yoruba

Etymology

Contraction of dúró.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dú.ó/

Verb

dúó

1. (Ondo) Ondo form of dúró (“to wait”)