Search the Dictionary

Two times; once and again. He twice essayed to cast his son in gold. Dryden.

only, and signifies one, or any, but somewhat less emphatically. In such expressions as "twice an hour," "once an age," a shilling an ounce (see 2d A, 2), it has a distributive force, and is equivalent to each, every.

year, have no shadow at noon; -- applied to the inhabitants of the torrid zone, who have, twice a year, a vertical sun.

In counterpoint and fugue, a repetition of the subject in tones of twice the original length. Augmentation court (Eng. Hist.), a court erected by Stat. 27 Hen. VIII., to augment to revenues of the crown by the suppression of monasteries. It was long ago dissolved. Encyc. Brit.

In most branches of science bi- in composition denotes two, twice, or doubly; as, bidentate, two-toothed; biternate, doubly ternate, etc.

Occurring twice a year; half-yearly; semiannual.

ement or radical, thus making the proportion of the acid to the positive or basic portion twice what it is in the normal carbonates; an acid carbonate; -- sometimes called supercarbonate.

Twice paired, as when a petiole forks twice. Gray.

Twice crenated, as in the case of leaves whose crenatures are themselves crenate.

Bearing fruit twice a year.

Having a forked petiole, and a pair of leaflets at the end of each division; biconjugate; twice paired; -- said of a decompound leaf.

Twice pinnate.

Twice folded together. Henslow.

The state of being twice folded; reduplication. [R.] Bailey.

An aspect of the planets when they are distant from each other by twice the fifth part of a great circle -- that is, twice 72 degrees.

Twice; -- a word showing that something is, or is to be, repeated; as a passage of music, or an item in accounts.

as, ship biscuit. According to military practice, the bread or biscuit of the Romans was twice prepared in the oven. Gibbon.

ement or radical, thus making the proportion of the acid to the positive or basic portion twice what it is in the normal sulphates; an acid sulphate.

fer prosperity or happiness upon; to grant divine favor to. The quality of mercy is . . . twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. Shak. It hath pleased thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee. 1 Chron. xvii. 27 (R. V. )

s (or of plants), perpetuating its special or distinctive characteristics by inheritance. Twice fifteen thousand hearts of England's breed. Shak. Greyhounds of the best breed. Carpenter.