in twain

prepositional phrase

In two, in halves, into two parts, asunder

“When the masked stranger hew with his axe, the baker's head did split in twain and his body fell like a lump to the ground in turn.”

Similar
asunder
OriginMiddle English in tweyn ← Old English on twēġen →
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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. archaicIn two, in halves, into two parts, asunder

    When the masked stranger hew with his axe, the baker's head did split in twain and his body fell like a lump to the ground in turn.

    3 more examples

    And when cold Winter ſplit the Rocks in twain, And Ice the running Rivers did reſtrain, He ſtripp’d the Bears-foot of its leafy Growth,

    1697, trans. John Dryden, Virgil, Georgics, book IV, lines 202–205

    It was an anomalous situation. Precedents, there were none. No state ever before had been rent in twain.

    1913, Warren Wood, When Virginia was Rent in Twain

    […]shortly, it will rend my loins in twain, burst forth, and pull us down, down, down into the deep, dark waters of commitment.

    2003, Bill Odenkirk (writer), Kif Kroker in “Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch”, Futurama, season 4, episode 1

    Synonyms: asunder

Synonyms & antonyms

prepositional phraseIn two, in halves, into two parts, asunder

Similar
asunder
Also see
apartasunderatwainin two

Origin

  1. Old Englishon twēġen“in two”
  2. Middle Englishin tweyn
  3. Englishin twain

From Middle English in tweyn, in twen, in tweyne (also as on tweyne). Compare Old English on twēġen (“in two”).

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek δίχα
  • δίχα (díkha)in halves
Bulgarian надве́, наполови́н
  • надве́ (nadvé)in halves
  • наполови́н (napolovín)in halves
  • наполови́на (napolovína)in halves
Dutch in tweeën
  • in tweeënin halves
Finnish kahtia
  • kahtiain halves
German entzwei
  • entzweiin halves
Greek στα δύο
  • στα δύο (sta dýo)in halves
Russian попола́м, напопола́м
  • попола́м (popolám)in halves
  • напопола́м (napopolám)in halves
  • на полови́ны (na polovíny)in halves
Swedish itu
  • ituin halves
Cite this entry
APA

in twain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20twain

MLA

“in twain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20twain. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in twain,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20twain.

Source: in twain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.