doublet

English

Alternative forms

• doubtlet (archaic)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdʌblət/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Examples
aim, esteem, estimate ambi-, amphi- dais, desk, discus, dish, disc cadence, cadenza, chance camera, chamber compute, count fragile, frail guest, host hyper-, super- name, nomen, noun regal, rial, royal soprano, sovereign tradition, treason tulip, turban

From Middle English doublet, a borrowing from Old French doublet, from double, duble, doble + -et.

Noun

doublet (plural doublets)

1. A pair of two similar or equal things; couple.
3. (linguistics) One of two or more different words in a language derived from the same etymological root but having different phonological forms (e.g., toucher and toquer in French or shade and shadow in English).
4. (literature) In textual criticism, two different narrative accounts of the same actual event.
5. (lapidary) An imitation gem made of two pieces of glass or crystal with a layer of color between them.
6. (printing, US) A word or phrase set a second time by mistake.
7. (quantum mechanics) A quantum state of a system with a spin of ½, such that there are two allowed values of the spin component, −½ and +½.
8. (computing) A word (or rather, a halfword) consisting of two bytes.
9. (botany) A very small flowering plant, Dimeresia howellii.
10. A word ladder puzzle.
11. An arrangement of two lenses for a microscope, designed to correct spherical aberration and chromatic dispersion, thus rendering the image of an object more clear and distinct.
    • 1855, Hermann Schacht, Frederick Currey, The Microscope:

      The doublet generally used is that invented by Dr. Wollaston, and consists of two plano-convex lenses placed with their convex sides towards the eye […]

12. Either of two dice, each of which, when thrown, has the same number of spots on the face lying uppermost.

    to throw doublets

13. (uncountable, obsolete) A game somewhat like backgammon.
14. (radio) Dipole antenna.
15. (historical) A man’s waistcoat.
    • c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv], lines 726-27:

      I must comfort the weaker vessel, as
      doublet and hose ought to show itself courageous to petticoat […]

    • 1711 May, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Criticism, London: […] W[illiam] Lewis […]; and sold by W[illiam] Taylor […], T[homas] Osborn[e] […], and J[ohn] Graves […], →OCLC, lines 316-19, 327-30:

      Expression is the dress of thought, and still
      Appears more decent, as more suitable;
      A vile conceit in pompous words express'd,
      Is like a clown in regal purple dress'd:
      […]
      These sparks with awkward vanity display
      What the fine gentleman wore yesterday;
      And but so mimic ancient wits at best,
      As apes our grandsires, in their doublets drest.

Synonyms

• (pair of two similar things): duet, dyad; see also Thesaurus:duo

Derived terms

• bidoublet
• doubletness
• interdoublet
• isodoublet
• microdoublet
• Montrose doublet
• Wollaston's doublet

 

Translations

pair of two similar or equal things — see also pair,‎ couple

• Bulgarian: чифт (bg) m (čift)
• Danish: dublet (da) c
• Finnish: pari (fi), kaksikko (fi)
• French: doublon (fr) m
• Hungarian: pár (hu)
• Italian: doppione (it) m
• Polish: para (pl) f
• Portuguese: par (pt) m, dupla (pt) f
• Russian: дубле́т (ru) m (dublét), пара (ru) f (para)
• Spanish: pareja (es) f, doblete (es) m
• Swedish: dubblett (sv) c

pair of cognates in a language

• Armenian: կրկնակ (hy) (krknak)
• Bulgarian: дублет m (dublet)
• Catalan: doblet (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 雙式詞 / 双式词 (zh) (shuāngshìcí)

• Dutch: doublet (nl) n, tweelingwoord n
• French: doublet (fr) m
• German: Dublette (de) f, Scheideform f
• Hungarian: azonos tőből származó/eredő szópár, azonos/közös eredetű/etimológiájú szópár, dublett (hu), (the process that creates them, which is more commonly used) szóhasadás (hu), párhuzamos alak- és jelentésmegoszlás, (with currently related meanings) jelentésmegoszlás, (with currently unrelated meanings) jelentéselkülönülés
• Italian: allotropo (it) m, doppietto (it) m, doppione (it) m
• Japanese: 二重語 (nijūgo)
• Polish: dublet (pl) m
• Portuguese: dobrete m
• Russian: дубле́т (ru) m (dublét)
• Spanish: doblete (es) m
• Turkish: eşil (tr)
• Welsh: dybled m

literature: in textual criticism, two different narrative accounts of the same actual event

• Hungarian: szövegismétlődés, szövegpár

lapidary: an imitation gem made of two pieces of glass or crystal with a layer of color between them

• Hungarian: dublé (hu), drágakőutánzat (hu)

a word ladder puzzle — see word ladder

an arrangement of two lenses for a microscope

• Hungarian: kettős lupe, kapcsolt lencse

either of two dice, each of which, when thrown, has the same number of spots on the face lying uppermost

• Hungarian: azonos számértékű kocka

dipole antenna — see dipole antenna

(historical in English) a man’s waistcoat

• Hungarian: zeke (hu)

See also

• homolog
• pair
• twin
• twinling

Number	1	2	3	4	5
Modifier	single	double / twofold	triple / threefold	quadruple / fourfold	quintuple / pentuple / fivefold
Whole	loner / singleton / monad	pair / couple / twosome / dyad	trio / threesome / triad / troika	foursome / tetrad	fivesome
Part	only one / singlet	twin / one of two / doublet	triplet / one of three	quadruplet / one of four	quintuplet / pentuplet / one of five
Number	6	7	8	9	10
Modifier	sextuple / hextuple / sixfold	septuple / heptuple / sevenfold	octuple / eightfold	ninefold / nonuple	tenfold / decuple
Whole	sixsome	sevensome	eightsome	ninesome	tensome / decad
Part	sextuplet / hextuplet / one of six	one of seven / septuplet / heptuplet	octuplet / one of eight	one of nine / nonuplet	one of ten / decuplet
Number	11	12	13	100	many
Modifier	elevenfold / undecuple / hendecuple	twelvefold / duodecuple	thirteenfold / tredecuple	a hundredfold / centuple	multiple
Whole	elevensome	twelvesome	thirteensome	hundredsome
Part	one of eleven / undecuplet / hendecuplet	one of twelve / duodecuplet	one of thirteen / tredecuplet	one of a hundred / centuplet	one of many / multiplet

Etymology 2

A doublet (jacket)

From Italian giubbetta, from giubba, from Arabic جبة (“to en-wrap”).

Noun

doublet (plural doublets)

1. A man’s close-fitting jacket, with or without sleeves, worn by European men from the 1400s to the 1600s.
   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], line 75:

     Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced […]

   • 1819, Washington Irving, The Sketch Book, Rip Van Winkle:

     He was a stout old gentleman, with a weather-beaten countenance; he wore a laced doublet, broad belt and hanger, high-crowned hat and feather, red stockings, and high-heeled shoes, with roses in them.

Derived terms

• doubleted
• doubletted

 

Translations

article of men's clothing

• Bulgarian: жакет (bg) m (žaket)
• Catalan: gipó (ca)
• Danish: vams c
• Finnish: dubletti
• French: pourpoint (fr)
• Galician: xibón (gl) m
• Italian: farsetto (it) m
• Portuguese: gibão (pt)
• Russian: дубле́т (ru) m (dublét)
• Spanish: jubón (es) m

Further reading

• doublet in Hensleigh Wedgwood, On False Etymologies, Transactions of the Philological Society,1855
• “doublet”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “doublet”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• Category:English doublets

Anagrams

• bled out, boulted, outbled

French

Etymology

From double +‎ -et.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /du.blɛ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Canada):

  (file)

Noun

doublet m (plural doublets)

1. (lexicography) doublet
2. doublet (die with the same rolled value as another)

Further reading

• “doublet”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French doublet, from double, duble, doble + -et.

Noun

doublet (plural doublets)

1. doublet (A man’s waistcoat)
2. doublet (An imitation gem)

Descendants

• English: doublet

References

• “dǒublet, n..”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.