Etymology

duumvirate

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Today it means: The office of the Roman duumvirs or (hence) of any two people in authority; a dyarchy; the rule or authority of two people, especially two men. Full definition →

First used 17th c.Latin duumvirātus
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromduumvirātus
  2. English todayduumvirate

From Latin duumvirātus, from duumvir + -ātus. Equivalent to duumvir + -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office, here the group of people involved with it).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 17th c. The office of the Roman duumvirs or (hence) of any two people in authority; a dyarchy; the rule or authority of two people, especially two men.
  • from 18th c. A pair of leaders or officials; (loosely) two people (especially men) linked together in some way.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.