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Origin and history of two

two(num.)

"1 more than one, the number which is one more than one; a symbol representing this number;" Old English twa "two," the feminine and neuter form. The masculine twegen survived as twain.

They are from Proto-Germanic *twa (source also of Old Saxon and Old Frisian twene, twa, Old Norse tveir, tvau, Dutch twee, Old High German zwene, zwo, German zwei, Gothic twai), from PIE *duwo, variant of the root *dwo- "two."

Two cheers for _____, expressing qualified enthusiasm, is recorded by 1951 (in E.M. Forster's title "Two Cheers for Democracy"), based on the traditional three cheers for ______, which is attested from 1751. Two-by-four for a post or other length of wood having a cross-section of 2 inches by 4 inches is by 1884.

Entries linking to two

twain(n.)

a modern survival of Middle English twein, from Old English twegen "two," masculine nominative and accusative form of twa "two" (fem. and neuter form); see two. It corresponds to Old Frisian twene, Dutch twee, Old High German zwene, Danish tvende.

The English word outlasted the breakdown of gender and survived as a secondary form of two, especially when the numeral follows a noun. Its continuance was aided by use in KJV and the Marriage Service (Matthew xix.5, 41), in poetry (where it is a useful rhyme word), and in oral use, where it may be necessary to be clear that two and not to or too is meant.

In U.S. nautical use as "a depth of two fathoms" from 1799 (as in Mark Twain).

so(adv., conj.)

Middle English so, from Old English swa, swæ (adv., conj., pron.) "in this way, in such a manner that," also "to that extent; so as, consequently, therefore," and purely intensive; from Proto-Germanic *swa (source also of Old Saxon, Middle Dutch, Old High German so, Old Norse sva, Danish saa, Swedish så, Old Frisian sa, Dutch zo, German so "so," Gothic swa "as"), from PIE reflexive pronominal stem *swo- "so" (source also of Greek hos "as," Old Latin suad "so," Latin se "himself"), derivative of *s(w)e-, pronoun of the third person and reflexive (see idiom).

Old English swa frequently was strengthened by eall, and so also is contained in compounds as, also, such. The -w- was crushed out by contraction from 12c.; compare two, which underwent the same process but retained its spelling.

As a word confirming a previous statement, late Old English; also from late Old English as an intensive in an affirmative clause (such as so very "exceedingly, extremely"). As an "introductory particle" [OED] from 1590s. Used to add emphasis or contradict a negative from 1913. So in mid-20c. British slang could mean "homosexual" (adj.).

So? as a term of dismissal is attested from 1886 (short for is that so?, etc.); it is older as an abbreviation of is it so? (1803). So what as an exclamation of indifference dates from 1932, perhaps shortened from phrases such as so what of it? etc.

The abbreviating phrase and so forth is attested in Old English; and so on is attested from 1724. So far "at such a distance" was in Middle English; so far so good is from 1721, said then to be a Scottish proverb.