dyad
Americannoun
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a group of two; couple; pair.
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Biology.
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a secondary morphological unit, consisting of two monads.
a chromosome dyad.
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the double chromosomes resulting from the separation of the four chromatids of a tetrad.
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Chemistry. an element, atom, or group having a valence of two.
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Mathematics. two vectors with no symbol connecting them, usually considered as an operator.
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Sociology.
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two persons involved in an ongoing relationship or interaction.
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the relationship or interaction itself.
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adjective
noun
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maths an operator that is the unspecified product of two vectors. It can operate on a vector to produce either a scalar or vector product
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an atom or group that has a valency of two
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a group of two; couple
Etymology
Origin of dyad
First recorded in 1665–75; from Greek dyad- (stem of dyás ) “pair,” equivalent to dý(o) “two” + -ad- noun suffix; see origin at two, -ad 1
Explanation
A dyad is a group of two things or two people. If you have a dyad of brothers, there are two of them. While you can use the noun dyad to mean "pair," "couple," or "duo," it's much more common to find the word used in a technical way. Sociologists, for example, use dyad to refer to social groups that consist of only two people, like a brother-sister dyad or a mother-child dyad. The word stems from the Greek dyas, "the number two," or "a group of two," from duo, "two."
Vocabulary lists containing dyad
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 university hired Dyad Strategies LLC to conduct an external review.
From Washington Post • Aug. 10, 2021
The culture is “enduring in that it creates that sense of belonging,” said Gentry McCreary, chief executive officer of Dyad Strategies, which consults with universities on restructuring fraternity and sorority life.
From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2018
The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that consulting firm Dyad Strategies released its report of the university’s Greek system on Thursday.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 27, 2017
Her last act is to provide a list of clones around the world so Cosima and former Dyad researcher Delphine can cure them.
From Slate • Aug. 13, 2017
Dyad from anaphase of first maturation mitosis. 66-67.
From Studies in Spermatogenesis Part I by Stevens, Nettie Maria
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.
