twine
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- twyne (obsolete)
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
From Middle English twine, twyne, twin, from Old English twīn (“double thread, twist, twine, linen-thread, linen”), from Proto-West Germanic *twiʀn (“thread, twine”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwisnós (“double”), from *dwóh₁ (“two”).
Noun[edit]
twine (countable and uncountable, plural twines)
- A twist; a convolution.
- 1629, John Milton, “On the Morning of Christs Nativity”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […] , London: Printed by Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Moſely, […], published 1645, OCLC 606951673, page 11:
- Not Typhon huge ending in ſnaky twine:
- A strong thread composed of two or three smaller threads or strands twisted together, and used for various purposes, as for binding small parcels, making nets, and the like; a small cord or string.
- The act of twining or winding round.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of J. Philips to this entry?)
- Intimate and suggestive dance gyrations.
- 1965, Wilson Pickett, Don't Fight It (blues song), BMI Music.
- The way you jerk, the way you do the twine / You're too much, baby; I'd like to make you mine [...]
- 1965, Wilson Pickett, Don't Fight It (blues song), BMI Music.
Coordinate terms[edit]
- (threads or strands twisted together): sinew
Translations[edit]
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Etymology 2[edit]
From Middle English twinen, twynen, from Old English *twīnian (“to twine, thread”), from Proto-Germanic *twiznōną (“to thread”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwisnós (“double”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ (“two”). Cognate with Dutch twijnen (“to twine, contort, throw”), Danish tvinde (“to twist”), Swedish tvinna (“to twist, twine, throw”), Icelandic tvinna (“to merge, twine”).
Verb[edit]
twine (third-person singular simple present twines, present participle twining, simple past and past participle twined)
- (transitive) To weave together.
- (transitive) To wind, as one thread around another, or as any flexible substance around another body.
- c. 1607, William Shakespeare, Coriolanus, Act IV, Scene 5,[1]
- Let me twine
- Mine arms about that body […]
- 1931, Dashiell Hammett, The Glass Key, New York: Vintage, 1972, Chapter 10, p. 199,[2]
- She was twining her fingers together.
- c. 1607, William Shakespeare, Coriolanus, Act IV, Scene 5,[1]
- (transitive) To wind about; to embrace; to entwine.
- 1712, Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock, Canto III,[3]
- “Let wreaths of triumph now my temples twine,”
- The victor cried, “the glorious prize is mine! […] ”
- 1712, Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock, Canto III,[3]
- (intransitive) To mutually twist together; to become mutually involved; to intertwine.
- 1941, Emily Carr, Klee Wyck, Chapter 1,[4]
- Usually some old crone was squatted on the earth floor, weaving cedar fibre or tatters of old cloth into a mat, her claw-like fingers twining in and out, in and out, among the strands that were fastened to a crude frame of sticks.
- 1941, Emily Carr, Klee Wyck, Chapter 1,[4]
- (intransitive) To wind; to bend; to make turns; to meander.
- 1713, Jonathan Swift, Cadenus and Vanessa,[5]
- As rivers, though they bend and twine,
- Still to the sea their course incline:
- 1713, Jonathan Swift, Cadenus and Vanessa,[5]
- (intransitive) To ascend in spiral lines about a support; to climb spirally.
- Many plants twine.
- (obsolete) To turn round; to revolve.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Chapman to this entry?)
- (obsolete) To change the direction of.
- 1600, Torquato Tasso, Jerusalem Delivered (1581), translated by Edward Fairfax, Book 20, Stanza 38,[6]
- For where he turned his sword, or twined his steed,
- He slew, or man and beast on earth down laid,
- 1600, Torquato Tasso, Jerusalem Delivered (1581), translated by Edward Fairfax, Book 20, Stanza 38,[6]
- (obsolete) To mingle; to mix.
- 1646, Richard Crashaw, “M. Crashaw’s Answer for Hope,” lines 29-30,[7]
- As lumpes of sugar loose themselues, and twine
- Their subtile essence with the soul of wine.
- 1646, Richard Crashaw, “M. Crashaw’s Answer for Hope,” lines 29-30,[7]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
Etymology 3[edit]
Verb[edit]
twine (third-person singular simple present twines, present participle twining, simple past and past participle twined)
- Alternative form of twin (“to separate”)
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- Requests for quotation/J. Philips
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English terms with obsolete senses