Tweese - Twinkle

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{ Tweese, Tweeze } (twēz), n. [OE. tweeze, tweese, fr. F. étuis, pl. of étui a case, sheath, box; probably of Teutonic origin; cf. MNG. stuche a wide sleeve in which articles could be carried, OHG. stūhha, G. stauche a short and narrow muff. Cf , .] A surgeon's case of instruments. Howell.
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Tweezers (twēzẽrz), n. pl. [See .] Small pinchers used to pluck out hairs, and for other purposes.
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Twelfth (twĕlfth), a. [For twelft, OE. twelfte, AS. twelfta. See .] 1. Next in order after the eleventh; coming after eleven others; -- the ordinal of twelve.
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2. Constituting, or being one of, twelve equal parts into which anything is divided.
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Twelfth, n. 1. The quotient of a unit divided by twelve; one of twelve equal parts of one whole.
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2. The next in order after the eleventh.
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3. (Mus.) An interval comprising an octave and a fifth.
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Twelfth-cake (-kāk), n. An ornamented cake distributed among friends or visitors on the festival of Twelfth-night.
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Twelfth-day (?), n. See .
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Twelfth-night (?), n. The evening of Epiphany, or the twelfth day after Christmas, observed as a festival by various churches.
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Twelfth-second (?), n. (Physics) A unit for the measurement of small intervals of time, such that 1012 (ten trillion) of these units make one second.
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Twelfthtide (?), n. The twelfth day after Christmas; Epiphany; -- called also Twelfth-day.
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Twelve (?), a. [OE. twelve, twelf, AS. twelf; akin to OFries. twelf, twelef, twilif, OS. twelif, D. twaalf, G. zwölf, OHG. zwelif, Icel. tōlf, Sw. tolf, Dan. tolv, Goth. twalif, from the root of E. two + the same element as in the second part of E. eleven. See , and .] One more that eleven; two and ten; twice six; a dozen.
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Coloq. Twelve-men's morris . See the Note under . -- Coloq. Twelve Tables . (Rom. Antiq.) See under .
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Twelve, n. 1. The number next following eleven; the sum of ten and two, or of twice six; twelve units or objects; a dozen.
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2. A symbol representing twelve units, as 12, or xii.
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Coloq. The Twelve (Script.), the twelve apostles. Matt. xxvi. 20.
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Twelvemo (?), a. & n. See .
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Twelvemonth (?), n. A year which consists of twelve calendar months.
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I shall laugh at this a twelvemonth hence. Shak.
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Twelvepence (?), n. A shilling sterling, being about twenty-four cents.
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Twelvepenny (?), a. Sold for a shilling; worth or costing a shilling.
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Twelvescore (?), n. & a. Twelve times twenty; two hundred and forty.
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Twentieth (?), a. [From ; cf. AS. twentigoða. See .] 1. Next in order after the nineteenth; tenth after the tenth; coming after nineteen others; -- the ordinal of twenty.
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2. Constituting, or being, one of twenty equal parts into which anything is divided.
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Twentieth, n. 1. The next in order after the nineteenth; one coming after nineteen others.
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2. The quotient of a unit divided by twenty; one of twenty equal parts of one whole.
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Twenty (twĕnt�), a. [OE. twenty, AS. twēntig, twentig; akin to OFries. twintich, OS. twēntig, D. & LG. twintig, OHG. zweinzug, G. zwanzig, Goth. twai tigjis; that is, two tens. See , , and .] 1. One more than nineteen; twice ten; as, twenty men.
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2. An indefinite number more or less that twenty. Shak.
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Maximilian, upon twenty respects, could not have been the man. Bacon.
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Twenty, n.; pl. Twenties (�). 1. The number next following nineteen; the sum of twelve and eight, or twice ten; twenty units or objects; a score.
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2. A symbol representing twenty units, as 20, or xx.
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Twentyfold (?), a. Twenty times as many.
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Twenty-fourmo (?), a. Having twenty-four leaves to a sheet; as, a twenty-fourmo form, book, leaf, size, etc. -- n. A book composed of sheets, each of which is folded into twenty-four leaves; hence, indicating more or less definitely a size of book whose sheets are so folded; -- usually written 24mo, or 24°.
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twenty-four-seven adj. & adv. (twĕntēfôr-sĕv�n) [From 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.] Without interruption; non-stop; continuous; as, the computer manufacturer provides 24/7 technical help.
Syn. -- 24/7, 7/24
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Twey (?), a. [See .] Two. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Tweyfold (?), a. Twofold. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Twibil (?), n. [AS. twibill; twi- (in comp.) two + bill, bil, an ax, hoe, bill. See , and a cutting instrument.] 1. A kind of mattock, or ax; esp., a tool like a pickax, but having, instead of the points, flat terminations, one of which is parallel to the handle, the other perpendicular to it. [Prov. Eng.]
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2. A tool for making mortises. [Obs.]
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3. A reaping hook.
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Twibilled (?), a. Armed or provided with a twibil or twibils.
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Twice (twīs), adv. [OE. twies (where the s is the adverbial ending; see ), twie, AS. twiges, twiwa; akin to twi- (in comp.) two, G. zwie-, OHG. zwi-, Icel. tvī-, L. bi-, Gr. di-, Skr. dvi-, and E. two. See .]
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1. Two times; once and again.
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He twice essayed to cast his son in gold. Dryden.
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2. Doubly; in twofold quantity or degree; as, twice the sum; he is twice as fortunate as his neighbor.
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☞Twice is used in the formation of compounds, mostly self-explaining; as, twice-born, twice-conquered, twice-planted, twice-told, and the like.
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Twiddle (?), v. t. [Probably of imitative origin. Cf. .] To touch lightly, or play with; to tweedle; to twirl; as, to twiddle one's thumbs; to twiddle a watch key. [Written also twidle.] Thackeray.
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Twiddle, v. i. To play with anything; hence, to be busy about trifles. Halliwell.
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Twiddle (?), n. 1. A slight twist with the fingers.
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2. A pimple. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
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Twifallow (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Twifallowed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Twifallowing.] [AS. twi- (see ) two + fallow.] To plow, or fallow, a second time (land that has been once fallowed).
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Twifold (?), a. [AS. twifeald. See , and cf. .] Twofold; double. [Obs.]
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Twig (twĭg), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Twigged (twĭgd); p. pr. & vb. n. Twigging.] [Cf. .] To twitch; to pull; to tweak. [Obs. or Scot.]
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Twig, v. t. [Gael. tuig, or Ir. tuigim I understand.]
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1. To understand the meaning of; to comprehend; as, do you twig me? [Colloq.] Marryat.
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2. To observe slyly; also, to perceive; to discover. “Now twig him; now mind him.” Foote.
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As if he were looking right into your eyes and twigged something there which you had half a mind to conceal. Hawthorne.
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Twig, n. [AS. twig; akin to D. twijg, OHG. zwīg, zwī, G. zweig, and probably to E. two.] A small shoot or branch of a tree or other plant, of no definite length or size.
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The Britons had boats made of willow twigs, covered on the outside with hides. Sir W. Raleigh.
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Coloq. Twig borer (Zoöl.), any one of several species of small beetles which bore into twigs of shrubs and trees, as the apple-tree twig borer (Amphicerus bicaudatus). -- Coloq. Twig girdler . (Zoöl.) See , 3. -- Coloq. Twig rush (Bot.), any rushlike plant of the genus Cladium having hard, and sometimes prickly-edged, leaves or stalks. See Saw grass, under .
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Twig, v. t. To beat with twigs.
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Twiggen (?), a. Made of twigs; wicker. [Obs.]
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Twigger (?), n. A fornicator. [Eng.] Halliwell.
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Twiggy (?), a. Of or pertaining to a twig or twigs; like a twig or twigs; full of twigs; abounding with shoots. “ Twiggy trees.” Evelyn.
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Twight (?), v. t. To twit. [Obs.] Spenser.
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Twight, obs. p. p. of . Chaucer.
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Twighte (?), obs. imp. of . Chaucer.
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Twigless (?), a. Having no twigs.
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Twigsome (?), a. Full of, or abounding in, twigs; twiggy. [R.] “ Twigsome trees.” Dickens.
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Twilight (?), n. [OE. twilight, AS. twi- (see ) + leóht light; hence the sense of doubtful or half light; cf. LG. twelecht, G. zwielicht. See .]
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1. The light perceived before the rising, and after the setting, of the sun, or when the sun is less than 18° below the horizon, occasioned by the illumination of the earth's atmosphere by the direct rays of the sun and their reflection on the earth.
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2. faint light; a dubious or uncertain medium through which anything is viewed.
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As when the sun . . . from behind the moon,
In dim eclipse, disastrous twilight sheds. Milton.
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The twilight of probability. Locke.
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Twilight, a. 1. Seen or done by twilight. Milton.
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2. Imperfectly illuminated; shaded; obscure.
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O'er the twilight groves and dusky caves. Pope.
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Twill (twĭl), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Twilled (twĭl); p. pr. & vb. n. Twilling.] [Scotch tweel; probably from LG. twillen to make double, from twi- two; akin to AS. twi-, E. twi- in twilight. See , and cf. , .] To weave, as cloth, so as to produce the appearance of diagonal lines or ribs on the surface.
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Twill, n. [Scotch tweel. See , v. t.] 1. An appearance of diagonal lines or ribs produced in textile fabrics by causing the weft threads to pass over one and under two, or over one and under three or more, warp threads, instead of over one and under the next in regular succession, as in plain weaving.
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2. A fabric woven with a twill.
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3. [Perhaps fr. quill.] A quill, or spool, for yarn.
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Twilly (?), n. [Cf. .] A machine for cleansing or loosening wool by the action of a revolving cylinder covered with long iron spikes or teeth; a willy or willying machine; -- called also twilly devil, and devil. See , n., 6, and . Tomlinson.
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Twilt (twĭlt), n. [See .] A quilt. [Prov. Eng.]
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Twin (twĭn), a. [OE. twin double, AS. getwinne two and two, pl., twins; akin to D. tweeling a twin, G. zwilling, OHG. zwiniling, Icel. tvennr, tvinnr, two and two, twin, and to AS. twi- two. See , .] 1. Being one of two born at a birth; as, a twin brother or sister.
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2. Being one of a pair much resembling one another; standing in the relation of a twin to something else; -- often followed by to or with. Shak.
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3. (Bot.) Double; consisting of two similar and corresponding parts.
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4. (Crystallog.) Composed of parts united according to some definite law of twinning. See , n., 4.
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Coloq. Twin boat , or Coloq. Twin ship (Naut.), a vessel whose deck and upper works rest on two parallel hulls. -- Coloq. Twin crystal . See , n., 4. -- Coloq. Twin flower (Bot.), a delicate evergreen plant (Linnæa borealis) of northern climates, which has pretty, fragrant, pendulous flowers borne in pairs on a slender stalk. -- Coloq. Twin-screw steamer , a steam vessel propelled by two screws, one on either side of the plane of the keel.
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Twin, n. 1. One of two produced at a birth, especially by an animal that ordinarily brings forth but one at a birth; -- used chiefly in the plural, and applied to the young of beasts as well as to human young.
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2. pl. (Astron.) A sign and constellation of the zodiac; Gemini. See .
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3. A person or thing that closely resembles another.
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4. (Crystallog.) A compound crystal composed of two or more crystals, or parts of crystals, in reversed position with reference to each other.
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☞ The relative position of the parts of a twin may be explained by supposing one part to be revolved 180° about a certain axis (called the twinning axis), this axis being normal to a plane (called the twinning plane) which is usually one of the fundamental planes of the crystal. This revolution brings the two parts into parallel position, or vice versa. A contact twin is one in which the parts are united by a plane surface, called the composition face, which is usually the same as the twinning plane. A penetration twin is one in which the parts interpenetrate each other, often very irregularly. Twins are also called, according to form, cruciform, geniculated, etc.
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Twin (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Twinned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Twinning.] 1. To bring forth twins. Tusser.
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2. To be born at the same birth. Shak.
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Twin, v. t. 1. To cause to be twins, or like twins in any way. Shak.
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Still we moved
Together, twinned, as horse's ear and eye. Tennyson.
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2. To separate into two parts; to part; to divide; hence, to remove; also, to strip; to rob. [Obs.]
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The life out of her body for to twin. Chaucer.
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Twin, v. i. To depart from a place or thing. [Obs.] “Ere that we farther twin.” Chaucer.
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Twinborn (?), a. Born at the same birth.
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Twine (twīn), n. [AS. twīn, properly, a twisted or double thread; akin to D. twijn, Icel. tvinni; from twi-. See , and cf. .] 1. A twist; a convolution.
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Typhon huge, ending in snaky twine. Milton.
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2. 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.
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3. The act of twining or winding round. J. Philips.
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Coloq. Twine reeler , a kind of machine for twisting twine; a kind of mule, or spinning machine.
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Twine, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Twined (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Twining.] [OE. twinen, fr. AS. twīn a twisted thread; akin to D. twijnen to twine, Icel. & Sw. tvinna, Dan. tvinde. See , n.] 1. To twist together; to form by twisting or winding of threads; to wreathe; as, fine twined linen.
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2. To wind, as one thread around another, or as any flexible substance around another body.
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Let me twine
Mine arms about that body. Shak.
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3. To wind about; to embrace; to entwine.
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Let wreaths of triumph now my temples twine. Pope.
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4. To change the direction of. [Obs.] Fairfax.
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5. To mingle; to mix. [Obs.] Crashaw.
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Twine, v. i. 1. To mutually twist together; to become mutually involved.
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2. To wind; to bend; to make turns; to meander.
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As rivers, though they bend and twine,
Still to the sea their course incline. Swift.
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3. To turn round; to revolve. [Obs.] Chapman.
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4. To ascend in spiral lines about a support; to climb spirally; as, many plants twine.
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Twiner (?), n. (Bot.) Any plant which twines about a support.
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Twinge (twĭnj), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Twinged (twĭnjd); p. pr. & vb. n. Twinging.] [OE. twengen, AS. twengan; akin to OE. twingen to pain, afflict, OFries. thwinga, twinga, dwinga, to constrain, D. dwingen, OS. thwingan, G. zwingen, OHG. dwingan, thwingan, to press, oppress, overcome, Icel. þvinga, Sw. tvinga to subdue, constrain, Dan. tvinge, and AS. þün to press, OHG. dūhen, and probably to E. thong. Perhaps influenced by twitch. Cf. .] 1. To pull with a twitch; to pinch; to tweak.
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When a man is past his sense,
There's no way to reduce him thence,
But twinging him by the ears or nose,
Or laying on of heavy blows. Hudibras.
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2. To affect with a sharp, sudden pain; to torment with pinching or sharp pains.
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The gnat . . . twinged him [the lion] till he made him tear
himself, and so mastered him. L'Estrange.
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Twinge, v. i. To have a sudden, sharp, local pain, like a twitch; to suffer a keen, darting, or shooting pain; as, the side twinges.
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Twinge, n. 1. A pinch; a tweak; a twitch.
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A master that gives you . . . twinges by the ears. L' Estrange.
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2. A sudden sharp pain; a darting local pain of momentary continuance; as, a twinge in the arm or side. “ A twinge for my own sin.” Dryden.
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Twining (?), a. Winding around something; twisting; embracing; climbing by winding about a support; as, the hop is a twining plant.
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Twining, a. The act of one who, or that which, twines; (Bot.) the act of climbing spirally.
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Twink (twĭṉk), v. i. [OE. twinken. See .] To twinkle. [Obs.]
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Twink (twĭṉk), n. 1. A wink; a twinkling. [Obs.]
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2. (Zoöl.) The chaffinch. [Prov. Eng.]
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Twinkle (twĭṉk'l), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Twinkled (twĭṉk'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Twinkling (twĭṉklĭng).] [OE. twinklen, AS. twinclian; akin to OE. twinken to blink, wink, G. zwinken, zwinkern, and perhaps to E. twitch.] 1. To open and shut the eye rapidly; to blink; to wink.
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The owl fell a moping and twinkling. L' Estrange.
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