dual
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or noting two.
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composed or consisting of two people, items, parts, etc., together; twofold; double.
dual ownership;
dual controls on a plane.
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having a twofold, or double, character or nature.
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Grammar. being or pertaining to a member of the category of number, as in Old English, Old Russian, or Arabic, that denotes two of the things in question.
noun
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the dual number.
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a form in the dual, as Old English git “you two,” as contrasted with ge “you” referring to three or more.
adjective
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relating to or denoting two
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twofold; double
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(in the grammar of Old English, Ancient Greek, and certain other languages) denoting a form of a word indicating that exactly two referents are being referred to
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maths logic (of structures or expressions) having the property that the interchange of certain pairs of terms, and usually the distribution of negation, yields equivalent structures or expressions
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
- dually adverb
Etymology
Origin of dual
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin duālis “containing two, relating to a pair,” equivalent to du(o) two + -ālis -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The SRG is tasked with policing both peaceful protests and terrorist attacks, a dangerous dual responsibility.
In November, Your Party's conference approved allowing members to have dual membership in future.
From BBC
Modi's visits and statements often reflect this dual approach: affirming strategic partnership with Israel while reiterating support for peace and diplomatic solutions in the wider Middle East.
From Barron's
Canada’s count, at more than 250,000, doesn’t fully capture dual citizenship, or the flow of Americans whose daily lives straddle the border.
‘Silver remains an asset that combines hedging and growth characteristics — and it is this dual advantage that…will sustain its appeal in the next phase.’
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.