*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of twine

From Middle English twyn, twyne, twin, from Old English twīn (“double thread, twist, twine, linen-thread, linen”), from Proto-West Germanic *twiʀn (“thread, twine”), from Proto-Germanic *twiznaz, from Proto-Indo-European

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A twist; a convolution. · 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. · The act of twining or winding round. · Intimate and suggestive dance gyrations.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English twyn, twyne, twin, from Old English twīn (“double thread, twist, twine, linen-thread, linen”), from Proto-West Germanic *twiʀn (“thread, twine”), from Proto-Germanic *twiznaz, from Proto-Indo-European *dwisnós (“double”), from *dwóh₁ (“two”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentiontwynenm
  • Inherited-form mentiontwīnang
  • Inherited-form mention*twiʀngmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*twiznazgem-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*dwisnósine-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "twyn"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English twyn"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
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        "2": "ang",
        "3": "twīn",
        "4": "",
        "5": "double thread, twist, twine, linen-thread, linen"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English twīn (“double thread, twist, twine, linen-thread, linen”)"
    },
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      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *twiʀn (“thread, twine”)"
    },
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      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *twiznaz"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dwisnós",
        "4": "",
        "5": "double"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *dwisnós (“double”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "twyn",
      "twyn#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "twyne",
      "twyne#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "twin",
      "twin#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "twīn",
      "twin#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*twiʀn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/twiʀn"
    ],
    [
      "*twiznaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/twiznaz"
    ],
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      "*dwisnós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dwisnós"
    ],
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      "*dwóh₁",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dwóh₁"
    ]
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  "descendants": [],
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    {
      "pos": "noun",
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        "A twist; a convolution.",
        "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.",
        "The act of twining or winding round.",
        "Intimate and suggestive dance gyrations."
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To weave together. · To wind, as one thread around another, or as any flexible substance around another body. · To wind about; to embrace; to entwine. · To mutually twist together; to become mutually involved; to intertwine.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English twinen, twynen, from Old English *twīnian (“to twine, thread”), from Proto-Germanic *twiznōną (“to thread”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwisnós (“double”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ (“two”). Cognate with Dutch twijnen (“to twine, contort, throw”), Danish tvinde (“to twist”), Swedish tvinna (“to twist, twine, throw”), Icelandic tvinna (“to merge, twine”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 5 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "inh",
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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "twinen"
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    },
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        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*twīnian",
        "4": "",
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    },
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      "name": "inh",
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        "4": "",
        "5": "to thread"
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    },
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    },
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        "2": "ine-pro",
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        "3": "",
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        "2": "tvinde",
        "3": "",
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        "3": "",
        "4": "to twist, twine, throw"
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        "1": "is",
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    ],
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    ],
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    ],
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      "twijnen",
      "twijnen#Dutch"
    ],
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      "tvinde",
      "tvinde#Danish"
    ],
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      "tvinna",
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  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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        "To weave together.",
        "To wind, as one thread around another, or as any flexible substance around another body.",
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for twine →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dHdpbmU