Etymologically
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duo

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:48. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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.

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