Definition

Noun 1. Two offspring born at the same birth: Refers to two children or animals born from the same pregnancy to the same mother. 2. Two people or things that are identical or very similar: Used to describe a pair that are remarkably alike in appearance, nature, or function. 3. (Baseball) The Minnesota Twins: A professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 4. (Mineralogy) Two interwoven crystals that are mirror images of each other: A crystal formation where two individual crystals have grown together in a symmetrical fashion.

Usage and Examples

• Referring to siblings:
  • She gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.
  • The twins share a very close bond.
• Referring to similar pairs:
  • Those two cars are twins; I can't tell them apart.
  • The two buildings were architectural twins, built from the same design.
• Referring to the baseball team:
  • The Twins won their game last night.
• Scientific context:
  • The quartz specimen exhibited a distinctive twins formation.

Advanced Usage

• "Identical twins" (monozygotic): Twins that develop from a single fertilized egg and share the same genetic makeup.
  • Identical twins often look remarkably similar.
• "Fraternal twins" (dizygotic): Twins that develop from two separate eggs fertilized by two separate sperm cells. They are genetically like typical siblings.
  • Fraternal twins can be of the same or different sexes.
• "Twin studies": Research that uses twins to investigate the relative influence of genetics and environment on traits.

Variants and Related Words

• Twin (verb): To pair or link closely.
  • The two cities are twinned to promote cultural exchange.
• Twin (adjective): Forming or being one of a pair.
  • She slept in the twin bed. (one of a pair of single beds)
  • The engine has twin turbochargers.
• Twinning (noun): The process or state of being twins, especially in crystallography.
• Twin town / Sister city: One of two towns in different countries that have a formal partnership.

Synonyms

• Siblings: Brother(s) and/or sister(s).
• Pair: Two corresponding items designed for use together.
• Duo: A pair of people, especially performers.
• Look-alike / Double: A person or thing that closely resembles another.

Idioms and Phrases

• "The twins" (as a unit): Often used to refer to the pair collectively.
  • Have you seen the twins today?
• "Twin peaks": Two prominent, similar peaks close together; also used metaphorically.
• "Twin-set": A matching sweater and cardigan, typically worn by women.

Noun

1. the third sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about May 21 to June 20
2. (mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other