adv. (sb., a.) Forms: 2 twiȝes, 3 (Orm.) twiȝȝess, twiȝess, 4 twiȝes, tuuiȝes; 2–5 twies, 4 twyese, tweis, 4–5 twyys, tweies, 4–6 twyes, twys, Sc. twyss, 4 (7 Sc.) tuis, 4–7 twyse, twise, 5 tweys, 5 (6 Sc.) twyis, tuyse, 5–6 twis, Sc. tuys(s, 6 Sc. twyiss, tweyss, tuyss, tuise, 7 twyce, 5– twice; 6 twyst, 7 twist, 9 dial. twyste, twiste, twicet. [Late OE. twiʓes, f. twiʓe, TWIE + advb. genitive ending -es; cf. ǽnes, ānes ONCE, þriʓes THRICE.
Twees, given by Kilian as a Du. and Fris. word, may be a similar formation, but Da. dial. tøs, tøse is a reduced form of MDa. tøsser, ON. tvisvar.]
In all senses now the regular substitute for the phrase two times: see TWO B. I. 1 d.
1. Two (successive) times; on two occasions.
c. 1122. O. E. Chron. (Laud MS.), an. 1120. Ðises ʓeares com þet leoht to Sepulchrum Dni … twiʓes.
a. 1175. Cott. Hom., 227. Þat cild his twies acenned.
c. 1200. Ormin, Ded. 104. & tatt he loke wel þatt he An bocstaff write twiȝȝess, Eȝȝwhær þær itt uppo þiss boc Iss writenn o þatt wise. Ibid., 16635. Niss nan mann … Þatt muȝhe Godess riche sen Butt he be borenn twiȝess.
13[?]. Cursor M., 27912 (Cott. Galba). Als gude war men to ett twise.
a. 1325. MS. Rawl. B. 520, lf. 54. Tuuiȝes in þe ȝere.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 4704. Þe Bretons … had wonnen of Cesar twys.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 3721. It a-louted lowe to vs twiȝes.
c. 1375. Lay Folks Mass Bk. (MS. B.), 309. In excelsis he neuens twyese.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. V. 421. I nam nouȝte shryuen … tweies in two ȝere.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 1605. ‘Ay mott he leue, ay mot he leue,’ quod ilke a lede twyse.
14[?]. R. Gloucester’s Chron. (Rolls), 9018 (MS. β). He smote him tweys on þe heuede.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., IV. vii. (Rolls), 462. If he hadde be twies weddid … Eny man tweies weddid.
1473–4. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., I. 47. Passand twis to Sanctandrois and anys to Dunbare.
1508. Dunbar, Tua Mariit Wemen, 303. I wes tuyse maryit.
1526. Tindale, Luke xviii. 12. I fast twyse in the weke.
1549. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., IX. 280. To the furroure for tuys lynyng of ane goun.
1563–7. Buchanan, Reform. St. Andros, Wks. (1892), 11. At iij howris ryng twyiss.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., IV. i. 69. Wouldst thou haue a Serpent sting thee twice?
1612. in 2nd Rep. Rec. Irel., 264. Twist or thrist a week.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1776), V. 350. The swallow … sometimes breeds twice a year.
1839. T. Mitchell, Aristoph., Frogs, 145, note. [Cinesias] is alluded to twice more in the present play.
1868. Lockyer, Elem. Astron., III. xxxiii. (1879), 195. The sun crosses the equator twice a year at the equinoxes.
1888. Eggleston, Graysons, i. 15. I wouldn’t look at her twiste.
b. Strengthened by over (OVER adv. 13 a).
1648. Bp. Hall, Serm. Higham, Rem. Wks. (1660), Z j b. The justice of God never punished the same sin twise over.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 72, ¶ 11. The Senior Member has outlived the whole Club twice over.
1721. Ramsay, Richy & Sandy, 6. This aught days twice o’er tell’d.
1893. Times, 29 April, 11/3. To tax the owners of property twice over in respect of the same thing.
c. Contextually: A second time; for the second time.
13[?]. Sir Beues (A.), 4256. Now is ȝhe þer twies quene.
1382. Wyclif, Phil. iv. 16. To Tessalonyk ȝe senten oonis and twyes [Tindale, Cranmer, Geneva, once and afterwarde agayne].
a. 1450. Knt. de la Tour (1906), 85. The kynge sente vnto her onis, tuyes, thries.
c. 1475. Rauf Coilȝear, 148. Now is twyse … me think thow hes forȝet.
1501. Douglas, Pal. Hon., I. 388. And now this time is twyis.
1582. T. Watson, Centurie of Loue, lxxxv. I at last, Am now twise free.
1602. Shaks., Ham., II. ii. 403. That great Baby … is not yet out of his swathing clouts. Rosin. Happily he’s the second time come to them: for they say, an old man is twice a childe.
1633. Bp. Hall, Occas. Medit. (1851), 112. The old word is, that ‘An old man is twice a child’; but I say, happy is he, that is thus a child always.
d. In phr. once or twice, twice or thrice, used indefinitely: a few times.
a. 1225–c. 1450. [see ONCE 8 a].
c. 1400. Maundev. (1839), xxv. 261. Ones or twyes in the Woke.
c. 1400. trans. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh., xix. 58. Do noght þat ofte, but twyes or thryes yn þe ȝeer.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 173 b. Not onely ones or twyse he hath hurted me.
a. 1631. Donne, Aire and Angels, 1, Poems 1633, 211.
| Twice or thrice had I loved thee, | |
| Before I knew thy face or name; | |
| So in a voice, so in a shapelesse flame, | |
| Angells affect us oft, and worship’d bee. |
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 120, ¶ 1. He has caught me twice or thrice looking after a Bird’s Nest.
1750. Gray, Long Story, 125. He once or twice had pen’d a sonnet.
e. To think twice: to consider a matter a second time (before deciding or acting); to deliberate.
1877. Spurgeon, Serm., XXIII. 56. Do not think twice about it … but say ‘No.’
1890. Spectator, 27 Dec., 932/1. He may … think twice before he formally undertakes so unremunerative a struggle.
1910. [see THINK v. 5 b].
2. Expressing multiplication by two: Two times in number, amount, or value.
a. with a numeral, or a sb. or sb. phr. expressing quantity: Two times as much as; double of.
1308. Song, in Ritson, Anc. Songs & Ball. (1877), 61. Tak twies ten ifere That wol be tuenti fulle.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XIII. 270. In þe date of owre dryȝte … A þousande and thre hondreth tweis thretty & ten.
c. 1425. Craft of Nombrynge (E.E.T.S.), 28. Y þat þou wold wete qwat is twyes 40.
1593. in T. Morris, Provosts of Methven (1875), 82. For the haill space of twyss nynetene ȝeiris.
1697. Dampier, Voy., I. xv. 408. Any Stranger … must be a great Favourite to get a pair of Shoes of them [Chinese women], tho he give twice their value.
1743. Francis, trans. Hor., Odes, V. ix. 19. Twice a thousand Gauls aloud proclaim … great Cæsar’s name.
1824. Arnold, Lett., in Stanley, Life & Corr. (1844), I. 69. I am twice the man for labour that I have been … for the last year or two.
1826. Henry, Elem. Chem., II. 373. These crystals … require … between twice and three times their weight of water at 60°.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), I. 475. Two is twice one.
b. In a twofold degree; two times as much; doubly. Usually with as († so obs.); more rarely with comparative, or (rhetorically) with an adj. of quality.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XIX. cxxv. (1495), mm iv/1. A nombre that hyght Multiplex conteyneth ye lesse nombre twyes or thryes or foure tymes.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., viii. 320. We shall þem bond twyse as fast.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, xvi. 9. Sum gevis for twyiss als gud agane.
1543. Udall, Erasm. Apoph., 303. A newe hous … twys so good & double so faire.
1583. Stubbes, Anat. Abus., II. (1882), 63. Twise vnhappy be those parents that thinke any moneth, day or houre, infortunate for their children to be borne in.
1601. Dolman, La Primaud. Fr. Acad. (1618), III. 728. The fire is twise more subtile then the aire.
a. 1774. Goldsm., Surv. Exp. Philos. (1776), I. 238. If … the wedge be twice as long … the driver will cleave his wood with twice greater force.
1825. T. Hook, Sayings, Ser. II. Sutherl. (Colburn), 9. Which … makes beauty doubly winning, and talent twice bewitching.
1885. ‘Mrs. Alexander,’ Valerie’s Fate, iv. I am nearly as old as you are, and I know twice as much of the world.
3. quasi-sb., preceded by a preposition or demonstrative: Two times. (Cf. ONCE 9.) a. with preposition; esp. at twice, on two occasions, in two distinct operations (somewhat rare); † by twice, twofold, doubly (obs. Sc.).
1494. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., I. 248. For a rape to the locke at twys,… brokyne wyth towen of the tymmyr.
a. 1500[?]. Wycket (1828), p. xii. Whether is the body of the lorde made at once or at twyse.
1560. Whitehorne, Ord. Souldiours (1573), 33 b. A ladle … that will take so muche pouder up at twise or thrise.
a. 1600. Montgomerie, Sonn., lxii. 5. My trumpets tone is terribler be tuyis [rhymes wyse, lyis] Nor ȝon couhorne.
1664. J. Wilson, Projectors, IV. As many Citizens and their Wives at once, as the great Bed at Ware, will hold at twice.
1791. H. Walpole, Lett. to Miss Berry, 29 Jan. I have written this at twice.
1860. Geo. Eliot, Mill on Fl., III. iii. ‘Did Mr. Tulliver let you have the money all at once?’… ‘No; at twice.’
b. with demonstrative word or phrase. rare.
1872. Bagehot, Eng. Constit. (1878), 100. We reject your Bill for this once or these twice, or even these thrice.
1907. T. Cobb, in Story-Teller, 93/1. Judging by Lady Kitty’s demeanour the last twice they had met.
4. quasi-adj. Performed, occurring, given, etc., twice; doing something (implied by the sb.) twice.
Chiefly with verbal sb. or agent.n., the vb. in which is implicitly qualified by twice.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., 28. Sommer Barley [is to be sowed] in March or April, after twyse plowing.
1624. Capt. Smith, Virginia, 239. We heard of the twice returne of the Paragon.
1683. Life & Death Ld. Shaftesbury, in Select. fr. Harl. Misc. (1793), 458. His twice Imprisonment in the Tower.
1876. Freeman, Hist. Sk., 83. The twice pilgrim.
1894. Mrs. H. Ward, Marcella, I. i. 6. Twice meat was forbidden and twice pudding allowed.
5. In combination with pples., forming compound adjs., as twice-baked, -bearing, -blowing, -boiled, -conquered, -dipped, -dyed, -given, -married, -refined, -roasted, -shelled, -sworn, -turned (see also TWICE-BORN, -LAID, -TOLD); rarely with other adjs., as twice-foul, -mortal; also † twice-childish a. in one’s ‘second childhood’ (cf. quot. 1602 in 1 c); twice-stabbed a. Entom., having two red marks suggesting stabs on the wing-cases, as the twice-stabbed ladybird, Chilocorus bivulnerus (Cent. Dict., 1891); † twice-writhen, Turner’s rendering of med.L. bistorta, BISTORT.
1542. Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot., 616/2. Tuyse schelit meill.
1568. Turner, Herbal, III. 12. It [Bistort] may be called … twise-writhen.
1591. Sylvester, Du Bartas, I. iv. 304. The twice-foul Raven.
1592. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., Pref. ii. § 5. These twice-sworne men.
1598. Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. i. I. Eden, 224. The passage of twice-childish age.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., V. xi. 405. Such as take themselves to be twice-refined.
1700. T. Brown, Amusem. Ser. & Com., x. 125. That unpalatable Ragoust, called in Latin Cramben Biscoctem, and in plain English, Twice-boild Cabbage.
1705. Pope, Jan. & May, 110. Twicemarry’d dames.
1742. Young, Nt. Th., IV. 765. Faith … dying, tenfold terror gives to death, And dips in venom his twice-mortal sting.
1743. Francis, trans. Hor., Odes, II. xvi. 42. The twice-dyed purple.
c. 1820. S. Rogers, Italy, Paestum, 89. Paestum’s twice-blowing roses.
1842. Loudon, Suburban Hort., 568. The twice-bearing red [raspberry].
1846. H. G. Robinson, Odes of Horace, II. xvi. And wool with Afric’s dye … Twice-dipp’d.
1851. H. Melville, Whale, xxvi. 125. As hard as twice-baked biscuits.
Hence Twice v. (nonce-wd. or slang), trans. to make twice as much, to double; to do twice as much as.
a. 1636. Fitz-Geffray, Compassion towards Capt., ii. (1637), 33. Twice your gift by timely giving it.
1890. ‘R. Boldrewood,’ Col. Reformer (1891), 304. We can ‘twice’ you over and over.
