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dual

Syllabification: (du·al)
Pronunciation: /ˈd(y)o͞oəl/
Translate dual | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of dual

adjective

  • 1 [attributive] consisting of two parts, elements, or aspects:their dual role at work and home
  • Grammar (in some languages) denoting an inflection that refers to exactly two people or things (as distinct from singular and plural):Old English has dual number for first- and second-person pronouns
  • (in an aircraft) using dual controls:a dual flight
  • 2 (often dual to) Mathematics (of a theorem, expression, etc.) related to another by the interchange of particular pairs of terms, such as “point” and “line.”.

noun

  • 1 Grammar a dual form of a word.
  • the dual number.
  • 2 Mathematics a theorem, expression, etc., that is dual to another.

Derivatives

dualize

Pronunciation: /-ˌlīz/
verb

dually

adverb

Origin:

late Middle English (as a noun denoting either of the two middle incisor teeth in each jaw): from Latin dualis, from duo 'two'

Do not confuse dual with duel. Dual means 'having two parts or aspects' (the dual role of proprietor/manager), whereas duel means 'a fight or contest between two people' (he challenged me to a duel).

dual in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of dual in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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