zween

German

Alternative forms
  • zwen (Early New High German)

Etymology

From Middle High German [Term?], from Old High German zwēne.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /tsveːn/

Numeral

zween m (feminine zwo, neuter zwei or zwey)

  1. (obsolete) Masculine form of zwei (“two”)

Usage notes

The gender distinction in the numeral zwei was widely given up in early modern German. Some grammarians, well into the 19th century, continued to recommend it but it was rarely applied and is now entirely obsolete. The form zween has fallen out of use, while zwo (the original feminine) lives on as a variant without gender distinction.

See also
  • Alemannic: zwe/zwee m, zwo/zwoo f, zwöi n; drei m or f or n, drụ̈/drü/drüü n
  • Bavarian: zwen/zween m, zwo f, zwai n
  • Luxembourgish: zwéin m, zwou f, zwee n
  • Nürnbergisch: zwöi m, zwou f, zwa n
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