Deuce

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /djuːs/

Definitions

1. A point value of two in various games; a situation in tennis where players are tied at 40-40 and need a two-point lead; a casual expression for the number two or a challenging circumstance
2. Refers to the numeric score two used in games; the draw score in tennis demanding one player to gain a lead by two points; a slang term denoting two or a troublesome event
3. A score represented by the number two in certain games; a tennis score indicating equality and requiring a player to win two consecutive points; an informal reference to the digit two or a problematic condition

Etymology: The most surprising candidate for "deuce" is its link to the devil. Its main English root is Middle English "dewes", meaning "two", which came through Anglo-Norman from Old French "deus" and Latin "duo". That explains the card and dice sense of two, and the tennis score where two points beyond deuce decide the game. The same word fed the old slang sense of a troublesome event or a bad outcome, as in the phrase "what the deuce". Some etymologists have also linked the word to other sources. One possibility is Late Latin "dusius", meaning "phantom" or "specter", and a related Scottish Gaelic word, "taibhs", meaning "apparition" or "ghost". Another proposal connects it to Old French "deus", meaning "God", from Latin "deus", the root of "deity". Neither link is certain, and the number sense remains the core of the word.

Synonyms: two, pair