English
dual
Dual comes from Latin dualis ‘two’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dwóh₁1‘two’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*duō1‘two’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEduo2‘two’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdualis2‘two’
- Englishearliest quotation 1992dual2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin duo
- 2 Wiktionary, English dual
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1992, Colin McLarty, Elementary Categories: “Every category is dual to its own dual, so…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dwóh₁Wiktionary, Latin duo‘two’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*duōWiktionary, Latin duo‘two’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEduoWiktionary, English dual‘two’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdualisWiktionary, English dual‘two’
- Englishearliest quotation 1992dualWiktionary, English dual. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1992, Colin McLarty, Elementary Categories: “Every category is dual to its own dual, so…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ‘two’
two, doubt, vice, defeat, twin, binary, vicious, diplomacy, twain, bis, disparate, biceps, twig, binocular, betwixt, 21 more
through Proto-Italic *duō ‘two’
through Latin duo ‘two’
Today it means
adj Characterized by having two (usually equivalent) components.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “dual”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin duo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ / dual