duumvirate

[ doo-uhm-ver-it, dyoo- ]

/ duˈʌm vər ɪt, dyu- /

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noun

a coalition of two persons holding the same office, as in ancient Rome.

the office or government of two such persons.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of duumvirate

From the Latin word duumvirātus, dating back to 1650–60. See duumvir, -ate³

Words nearby duumvirate

duty-free, duty-free shop, duty officer, duty to retreat, duumvir, duumvirate, Duvalier, Duve, Duveneck, duvet, duvet day

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use duumvirate in a sentence

Their triumvirate—duumvirate rather, Lepidus was nobody—matrimony consolidated.
Historia Amoris: A History of Love, Ancient and Modern|Edgar Saltus
But the Duumvirate seemed utterly incapable of devising a coherent policy for central or eastern Europe.
The Inside Story Of The Peace Conference|Emile Joseph Dillon
Of what did the duumvirate deliberate during their itinerary?
Ulysses|James Joyce
Rarely does history exhibit such a duumvirate as that of Epaminondas and Pelopidas.
A Manual of Ancient History|A. H. L. (Arnold Hermann Ludwig) Heeren

The duumvirate did not last, and the count and Nino soon quarrelled.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 10|Various

British Dictionary definitions for duumvirate

duumvirate

/ (djuːˈʌmvɪrɪt) /

noun

the office of or government by duumvirs

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012