Etymologically
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double

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈdʌb.əl/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English duble (“twice, twofold”),[2] borrowed from Old French doble (“double, twofold; two-faced, deceitful”), duble,[3][2][4] from Latin duplus (“twofold, twice as much”),[3][5] from duo (“two”) and -plus (“-fold”),[3][2][6] from Proto-Indo-European *dwo- (“two”).[3][5] The verb is from Old French dobler, from Latin duplāre.[2][6] It is a doublet of duple.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest recorded use is about 1200 in double-feast, an important church festival;[3] the adjective “twice, twofold” is probably from before 1200, in the Ancrene Riwle.[2] The verb, “to make double”, is from about 1200[3] or before 1300.[2]

Semantic evolution

“Twice as much or as large” and “of two layers, of extra thickness” are from about 1300,[3] and “characterized by duplicity” from the mid-14th century.[3] A duplicate copy is from the mid-15th century.[3] A backward turn to escape pursuers, of the noun, and “to turn in the opposite direction”, of the verb, are from the 1590s.[3] An actor or singer able to replace a principal is by 1800, originally in opera, and the stunt double by 1945.[3] Double time in the army is from 1833,[3] the double bed from 1798, in Jane Austen's letters,[2] and double cross, “an act of treachery”, from 1834.[2] A double measure of liquor is by 1922.[3] The game of doubles in tennis is by 1884,[3] and a two-base hit in baseball by 1938.[3] Double take and doubletalk are from 1938, in American English.[2] “To work in a second job besides one's own” is about 1920, circus slang for performers who also played in the band.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – double-feast.[3]
  • c. 1300 – twice as much; verb, to make double.[3]
  • mid-14th century – deceitful.[3]
  • 1590s – a backward turn.[3]
  • 1798 – double bed.[2]
  • 1800 – a stand-in performer.[3]
  • 1834 – double cross.[2]
  • 1884 – doubles in tennis.[3]
  • 1938 – double take.[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Twice as much in size, strength or amount.
  2. Made of two like parts; paired.
  3. Made for two: a double bed.
  4. Deceitful; two-faced.
  5. Of flowers, having more petals than usual.

Noun

  1. Something twice as great.
  2. A person or thing that closely resembles another; a duplicate.
  3. An actor who stands in for another, as a understudy or in dangerous scenes.
  4. (plural) A game with two players on each side.
  5. A sharp turn, especially in running away.

Verb

  1. To make or become twice as great.
  2. To fold in two.
  3. To serve in an additional role: the sofa doubles as a bed.
  4. To turn back sharply.

Adverb

  1. Twice; in twos: see double.

Word family

  • doubleness
  • doubler
  • redouble
  • undouble
  • body double
  • daily double
  • ground rule double
  • double up

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster