duo

¹

[ doo-oh, dyoo-oh ]

noun

, plural du·os.

1. Music. duet.
2. two persons commonly associated with each other; couple.
3. two animals or objects of the same sort; two things ordinarily placed or found together; a pair:

   a duo of lovebirds.

duo-

²

1. a combining form meaning “two,” used in the formation of compound words:

   duologue.

duo-

¹

combining_form

1. indicating two

   duotone

duo

²

/ ˈdjuːəʊ /

noun

1. music
   1. a pair of performers
   2. another word for duet
2. a pair of actors, entertainers, etc
3. informal.
   a pair of closely connected individuals

Word History and Origins

Origin of duo¹

1580–90; < Italian < Latin: two

Origin of duo²

Combining form of Greek dýo, Latin duo two

Word History and Origins

Origin of duo¹

from Latin

Origin of duo²

C16: via Italian from Latin: two

Example Sentences

The Independent, quoted the duo as saying “we have some offers but we cannot say anything at the moment.”

From The Daily Beast

The duo have five of these rogue installations under their belts, with another coming in early 2015.

From The Daily Beast

Last September, the "designer" duo got booed at Lanvin's Paris fashion show after they arrived late to their front row seats.

From The Daily Beast

The CIA canceled the deal three years later, but by then the duo had received $81 million.

From The Daily Beast

We could have played a duo show instead of hiring six people to tour with us.

From The Daily Beast

Sinus duo sunt maiores, vastque; alter is, qui S. Laurentij gurges; alter, qui Francius appellatur.

From Project Gutenberg

Nos duo Societate tuguriolum habemus ligneum, in quo vix posit mens commouere nos possumus.

From Project Gutenberg

Fines intrinseci accidentales pariter sunt duo: procreatio prolis et remedium concupiscentiae.

From Project Gutenberg

Praeterea, illi duo fines intrinseci essentiales matrimonii existunt.

From Project Gutenberg

Ostendens duo ossa quod dicebat illa esse quæ ceciderunt de talis suis.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• pair

Words That Use Duo-

What does duo- mean?

Duo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “two.” It is occasionally used in technical terms.

Duo- comes from Greek dýo and Latin duo, both meaning “two.” In fact, English’s own word two is related to these roots! Learn more at our entry at two.

Examples of duo-

One example of a technical term that features the combining form duo- is duotone, “of two tones or colors.”

The combining form duo- means “two,” while -tone here means “color.” Duotone literally translates to “two colors” or “two-colored.”

What are some words that use the combining form duo-?

• duobinary
• duopoly
• duotype
• duologue
• duopsony

What are some other forms that duo- may be commonly confused with?

• deoxy-
• di-
• dia-

The combining form duodeno- does not use duo- to mean “two.” Learn why duodeno- represents a part of the small intestine at our entry.

Break it down!

A monologue is the part of a drama in which a single speaker talks at length. With this in mind, what is a duologue, also known as a dialogue?