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double

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Double, doublé, Doublé, and double-

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
English numbers (edit)
 ←  1 2 3  → 
    Cardinal: two
    Ordinal: second
    Latinate ordinal: secondary
    Reverse order ordinal: second to last, second from last, last but one
    Latinate reverse order ordinal: penultimate
    Adverbial: two times, twice
    Multiplier: twofold
    Latinate multiplier: double
    Distributive: doubly
    Germanic collective: pair, twosome
    Collective of n parts: doublet, couple, couplet
    Greek or Latinate collective: dyad
    Metric collective prefix: double-
    Greek collective prefix: di-, duo-
    Latinate collective prefix: bi-
    Fractional: half
    Metric fractional prefix: demi-
    Latinate fractional prefix: semi-
    Greek fractional prefix: hemi-
    Elemental: twin, doublet
    Greek prefix: deutero-
    Number of musicians: duo, duet, duplet
    Number of years: biennium

Etymology

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PIE word
*dwóh₁

From Middle English double, from Old French doble, double, from Latin duplus (“twofold”). Doublet of doppio and duple.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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double (not comparable)

  1. Made up of two matching or complementary elements.
    The closet has double doors.
    • 1910, Emerson Hough, “A Lady in Company”, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
      “ […] it is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons ! Such is not the usage of civilized warfare. Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.”
    • 2013 August 10, Lexington, “Keeping the mighty honest”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
      The [Washington] Post's proprietor through those turbulent [Watergate] days, Katharine Graham, held a double place in Washington’s hierarchy: at once regal Georgetown hostess and scrappy newshound, ready to hold the establishment to account.
  2. Of twice the quantity.
    Give me a double serving of mashed potatoes.
  3. Of a family relationship, related on both the maternal and paternal sides of a family.
    He's my double cousin as my mother's sister married my father's brother.
  4. Designed for two users.
    a double room
  5. Folded in two; composed of two layers.
  6. Stooping; bent over.
  7. Having two aspects; ambiguous.
    a double meaning
  8. False, deceitful, or hypocritical.
    a double life
    • c. 1515–1516, published 1568, John Skelton, Againſt venemous tongues enpoyſoned with ſclaunder and falſe detractions &c.:
      A fals double tunge is more fiers and fell
      Then Cerberus the cur couching in the kenel of hel;
      Wherof hereafter, I thinke for to write,
      Of fals double tunges in the diſpite.
  9. Of flowers, having more than the normal number of petals.
  10. (music) Of an instrument, sounding an octave lower.
    a double bass
  11. (music) Of time, twice as fast.

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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  • (antonym(s) of “made up of two matching or complementary elements”): half
  • (antonym(s) of “of twice the quantity”): half

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → Gulf Arabic: دبل (dabal)

Translations

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See also

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Number 1 2 3 4 5
Modifier single double / twofold triple / threefold quadruple / fourfold quintuple / pentuple / fivefold
Whole loner / singleton / monad pair / couple / twosome / dyad trio / threesome / triad / troika foursome / tetrad fivesome
Part only one / singlet twin / one of two / doublet triplet / one of three quadruplet / one of four quintuplet / pentuplet / one of five
Number 6 7 8 9 10
Modifier sextuple / hextuple / sixfold septuple / heptuple / sevenfold octuple / eightfold ninefold / nonuple tenfold / decuple
Whole sixsome sevensome eightsome ninesome tensome / decad
Part sextuplet / hextuplet / one of six one of seven / septuplet / heptuplet octuplet / one of eight one of nine / nonuplet one of ten / decuplet
Number 11 12 13 100 many
Modifier elevenfold / undecuple / hendecuple twelvefold / duodecuple thirteenfold / tredecuple a hundredfold / centuple multiple
Whole elevensome twelvesome thirteensome hundredsome
Part one of eleven / undecuplet / hendecuplet one of twelve / duodecuplet one of thirteen / tredecuplet one of a hundred / centuplet one of many / multiplet

Adverb

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double (not comparable)

  1. Twice over; twofold; doubly.
  2. Two together; two at a time.
    When I met the twins, I thought I was seeing double.
    There are only a few beds, so some of the children will have to sleep double for the night.
  3. Into two halves or sections.
    The old man was bent double under his heavy burden.

Synonyms

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Noun

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double (plural doubles)

  1. Twice the number, amount, size, etc.
  2. A person who resembles and stands in for another person, often for safety purposes
    Saddam Hussein was rumored to have many doubles.
  3. A drink with two portions of alcohol.
    On second thought, make that a double.
  4. A ghostly apparition of a living person; a doppelgänger.
    • 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 71:
      According to the description our captain had given me of Peter Sandaker once when he had dropped behind on the march, he was particularly good at telling tales and stories about goblin-birds, doubles, and fairies, and had a special fancy for entering into the most minute details, whenever he commenced telling about one or the other of the eighteen bears he had killed in his time.
  5. A sharp turn, especially a return on one's own tracks.
  6. A redundant item for which an identical item already exists.
    I have more than 200 stamps in my collection but they're not all unique: some are doubles.
    Before printing the photos, Liam deleted the doubles.
  7. (baseball) A two-base hit.
    The catcher hit a double to lead off the ninth.
  8. (bridge) A call that increases certain scoring points if the last preceding bid becomes the contract.
  9. (billiards, snooker) A strike in which the object ball is struck so as to make it rebound against the cushion to an opposite pocket.
    • 2023 May 1, Steve Sutcliffe, “World Snooker Championship 2023 final: Luca Brecel beats Mark Selby for first world title”, in BBC Sport:
      Brecel fired in doubles, a succession of stunning long pots and seemingly cleared balls at will as he rattled through the first four frames in under an hour.
  10. A bet on two horses in different races in which any winnings from the first race are placed on the horse in the later race.
    • 2005, Kenneth Brown, ...and I Survived: A Barnardo Boy's Memoir, page 55:
      Not only did I collect on the double; I had the win and the place money as well.
  11. (darts) The narrow outermost ring on a dartboard.
  12. (darts) A hit on this ring.
  13. (dominoes) A tile that has the same value (i.e., the same number of pips) on both sides.
  14. (programming) A double-precision floating-point number.
    The sine function returns a double.
  15. (soccer) Two competitions, usually one league and one cup, won by the same team in a single season.
  16. (rowing) A boat for two scullers.
  17. (sports) The feat of scoring twice in one game.
    • 2010 December 28, Owen Phillips, “Sunderland 0 - 2 Blackpool”, in BBC‎[1]:
      DJ Campbell grabbed a second-half double as Blackpool made Sunderland pay for a host of missed chances to secure a fifth away league win of the season.
  18. (sports, chiefly swimming and track) The feat of winning two events in a single meet or competition.
    In 1996, Michael Johnson achieved a double by winning both the 200 and 400 meter dashes.
  19. (cricket) The achievement of 1000 runs and 100 wickets taken in a single season.
  20. (historical) A former French coin worth one-sixth of a sou.
  21. (historical, Guernsey) A copper coin worth one-eighth of a penny.
    • 1974, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York, published 2007, page 196:
      As for doubles, they are not worth anything now; and I have still got an egg-cupful my mother used to keep handy to give the baker change from a farthing.
  22. (music) Playing the same part on two instruments, alternately.
  23. (Christianity) A double feast.
  24. Synonym of double-quick (“fast marching pace”)
  25. (music) A secondary instrument with which a musician is skilled.
    • 2020 January 4, Bret Pimentel, “Woodwind doubling and saxophone problems”, in Bret Pimentel, woodwinds‎[2]:
      The saxophone is a valuable and rewarding double, and opens up many gigs that aren’t available to players of just the “orchestral” woodwinds.

Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb

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double (third-person singular simple present doubles, present participle doubling, simple past and past participle doubled)

  1. (transitive) To multiply by two.
    The company doubled their earnings per share over last quarter.
  2. (intransitive) To increase by 100%, to become twice as large in size.
    Our earnings have doubled in the last year.
  3. To be the double of; to exceed by twofold; to contain or be worth twice as much as.
  4. (transitive) To fold over so as to make two folds.
    To make a pleat, double the material at the waist.
  5. (transitive, sometimes followed by up) To clench (a fist).
  6. (baseball) To get a two-base hit.
    The batter doubled into the corner.
  7. (transitive, often followed by together or up) To join or couple.
  8. (transitive) To repeat exactly; copy.
  9. (intransitive) To serve a second role or have a second purpose. [with as]
    A spork is a kind of fork that doubles as a spoon.
  10. (transitive, intransitive, sometimes with "for") To act as substitute for (another theatrical performer in a certain role, etc).
    • 1801, Francis William Blagdon, Paris as it was and as it is, published 1803, II, xli, 60:
      Laforêt, who (as the French express it), doubles Lainez, that is, performs the same characters in his absence.
    • 1814, Elizabeth Hervey, The Mourtray Family: Third Edition, page 31:
      […] and when she attempted to double the part of her mother, she equally failed in playing the great or agreeable lady.
  11. (theater) To play (both one part and another, in the same play, etc).
    • 1878, lady Isabella Emma E. Schuster, Hands Not Hearts, page 141:
      When, therefore, Briggs, the sedate, middle-aged individual, who in the Markham household doubles the roles of butler and valet, makes his appearance, his master affects to be in a great hurry, looks at his watch, and says : […]
    • 1916, The Moving Picture World, page 335:
      Miss Theby doubles in the part of Rose and the native girl in the Philippines. This is a problem plot in which a young man leaves the girl of his choice because she has had an affair in her earlier years. He goes to the Philippines, […]
    • 1997, Roger Lewis, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, Hal Leonard Corporation, →ISBN:
      In On the Beat he doubles the parts of a constable and a gang-leader. Norman was all over the place.
    • 2013, Hy Rothstein, Barton Whaley, The Art and Science of Military Deception, Artech House, →ISBN, page 164:
      In his case the matter is simplified by the fact that the head of his Deception Staff doubles the roles of author and producer. The Commander therefore tells him what sort of deception he needs, examines the plans produced for him […]
  12. (intransitive) To turn sharply, following a winding course.
  13. (nautical) To sail around (a headland or other point).
  14. (music) To duplicate (a part) either in unison or at the octave above or below it.
  15. (music, intransitive, usually followed by "on") To be capable of performing (upon an additional instrument).
  16. (bridge) To make a call that will double certain scoring points if the preceding bid becomes the contract.
  17. (card games, intransitive) To double down.
  18. (billiards, snooker, pool) To cause (a ball) to rebound from a cushion before entering the pocket.
  19. (intransitive) To go or march at twice the normal speed.
  20. (transitive) To multiply the strength or effect of by two.
    Sorry, this store does not double coupons.
  21. (military) To unite, as ranks or files, so as to form one from each two.
  22. (radio, informal, of a station) To transmit simultaneously on the same channel as another station, either unintentionally or deliberately, causing interference.
    Could you please repeat your last transmission? Another station was doubling with you.
  23. (espionage, intransitive) To operate as a double agent.
    • 1973, National Lampoon, page 12:
      Was this simply the cover name of an Allied spy-code named the Brass Monkey? […] The possibility that the Brass Monkey himself was "doubling" (with headquarters' approval, of course) is too logical […]

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

See also

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Anagrams

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Chinese

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Etymology

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From English double.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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double

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) times; -fold (Classifier: 個／个 c)
    使多一個double／使多一个double [Hong Kong Cantonese]  ―  sai2 do1 jat1 go3 dap1 bou4 [Jyutping]  ―  to use onefold more

Synonyms

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Verb

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double

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to double; to increase by 100%

Synonyms

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References

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French

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Etymology

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Inherited from Old French doble, from Latin duplus.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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French numbers (edit)
 ←  1 2 3  → 
    Cardinal: deux
    Ordinal: deuxième, second
    Ordinal abbreviation: 2e, 2d, (nonstandard) 2ème
    Multiplier: double
    Fractional: demi, moitié
French Wikipedia article on 2

double (plural doubles)

  1. double (all senses), two
    Il s’agit d’une phrase à double sens.
    It is a phrase of two sentences.
  2. (music) sixteenth note
    une double croche ― a sixteenth note

Derived terms

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Descendants

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Noun

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double m (plural doubles)

  1. double (twice the number, amount, etc.)
    Je n’en avais pas assez, alors j’en acheté le double.
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
  2. duplicate (an identical copy)
    Faire un double de ses clés.
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
  3. (baseball) double

Verb

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double

  1. inflection of doubler:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

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