dvīnis

From Proto-Indo-European *dwís (“twice, twofold”) (with an extra suffix *-no, *-nyo), from *dwi- (“two”), whence also divi (“two”) (q.v.). Cognates include Lithuanian dvynỹs, Old High German zwiniling (< *twi-na-), German Zwilling, English twin, Latin bini (“in twos, in pairs”) (< *dwis-no-).^[1]

• IPA^(key): [dvìːnis]

• Audio:

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dvīnis m (2nd declension, feminine form: dvīne)

1. (male) twin (a boy born together with another child from one mother)

   dvīņu brālis ― twin brother (a man with a twin brother or sister)

   dvīņu māsa ― twin sister (a woman with a twin brother or sister)

   dvīņu zvaigzne ― twin star (i.e., a double star)

   dvīņu klēts ― twin barn (i.e., two barns under the same roof)

   dvīņi ir līdzīgi pēc ārienes ― twins are similar in appearance

   Kaspars domāja par saviem dvīņiem ― Kaspars thought about his twins (children)

   turcietei piedzimuši dvīņi, zēns un meitene ― the Turkish woman gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl

The singular forms exist but are much less frequent in actual usage than the plural forms (e.g., dvīņu brālis, with dvīņu used adjectivally, is more frequent than dvīnis).

• Dvīņi (Zodiac sign)

• divi