two-tongued

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English

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Etymology

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From Middle English two-tounged, two tungyd, equivalent to two +‎ tongued. Compare twi-tongued.

Adjective

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two-tongued (not comparable)

  1. Having two tongues; double-tongued.
  2. (by extension) Deceitful; lying; two-faced.
  3. (rare) Possessing the ability to speak two languages; synonym of bilingual.
    • 1963, Ralph Maud, Entrances to Dylan Thomas' poetry:
      Thomas had used "the bilingual sea" in "Quite Early One Morning" (1945), so that "two-tongued" was a product of a natural piece of wordplay.
    • 2006, Sherry Simon, Translating Montreal: Episodes in the Life of a Divided City:
      It is through the voice-over (fully bilingual, because, as the narrator announces, this will be an “f...ing Canadian film”) that the narrator demonstrates both the positive and the negative aspects of the two-tongued individual.