twain

Etymology 1
From, , , from , from , from , from. Cognate with 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬. More at.

The word outlasted the breakdown of gender in Middle English and survived as a secondary form of, then especially in the cases where the numeral follows a noun. Its continuation into modern times was aided by its use in KJV, the Marriage Service, in poetry (where it is commonly used as a rhyme word), and in oral use where it is necessary to be clear that and not  or  is meant.

Numeral

 * 1)  two

Trivia

 * : pen name of the author Samuel Langhorne Clemens. "Mark twain!" was called out by a steamship hand when the sounding depth was 2 fathoms, or 12 feet. This was the shallowest water in which most steamships could operate at full power.

Adjective

 * 1)  twofold

Noun

 * 1) pair, couple

Etymology 2
From, from (see Etymology 1 above).

Verb

 * 1)  To part in twain; divide; sunder.