duo

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈdjuː.əʊ/, /ˈd͡ʒuː.əʊ/ (UK); /ˈdu.oʊ/, /ˈdju.oʊ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian duo (“duet”), possibly through French duo,^[2][3][4] from Latin duo (“two”) (see two),^[2][3] from PIE Proto-Indo-European *dwo- (“two”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A song for two voices, a duet: 1590 (the 1580s in Etymonline).^[2][5][3]

Semantic evolution

A pair in general is first recorded in English in 1802,^[2] and two people, especially a pair of entertainers, from 1887.^[3][5] Collins gives the plural as duos or dui.^[6]

Timeline

• 1590 – a duet.^[2]
• 1802 – a pair.^[2]
• 1887 – a pair of entertainers.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A pair of performers, or a piece of music for two; a duet.
2. A pair of entertainers or of closely associated people.

Related words

• duet
• dual
• two
• double

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e 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 c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins