Bigeminate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To happen in twinned forms To grow or exist in pairs Pertaining to a biological or structural occurrence where two similar elements are produced or arranged together
2. Existing or happening as matched pairs or as a twin-like arrangement
3. Arranged or formed in sets of two similar parts appearing together

Etymology: "Bigeminate" is built from two parts: the prefix "bi-", meaning "two" or "twice", and "geminate", which comes from Latin "geminare", "to double" or "to pair", itself from "geminus", "twin" or "double". Put together, the word describes things that come in twin pairs, or that occur two at a time. The Latin root "geminus" is also the source of "Gemini," the twins of the zodiac, which gives a sense of how old and familiar the idea of doubling is in the language. "Geminate" in English carries the same meaning of joining things in pairs, often used of sounds or shapes that come doubled, and "bigeminate" simply strengthens that sense with the extra "bi-".