duo
(ˈdjuːəʊ)
Pl. duos.
[It. duo duet, a. L. duo two.]
1. Mus. A duet.
| 1590 T. Whithorne (title) His Songs for 2 voyces, of the which some be plaine and easie..the rest of these Duos be made for those that be more perfect in Singing or Playing. 1665 Pepys Diary 15 Oct., Tried to compose a duo of counter point. 1781 J. Moore View Soc. It. (1795) I. 189 A Duo performed by an old man and a young woman. 1880 Grove's Dict. Mus. I. 468 Some writers use the form ‘Duet’ for vocal, and ‘Duo’ for instrumental compositions; this distinction, however, is by no means universally adopted. |
| transf. and fig. 1802 M. Moore Lascelles I. 232 She usually had a female friend staying with her, to interrupt these tedious duo's. 1872 Geo. Eliot Middlem. x, The talking was done in duos and trios more or less inharmonious. |
2. Two people; a couple;
esp. a pair of entertainers. Also
fig. (
Cf. quot. 1872, sense 1 above.)
| 1887 Lantern (New Orleans) 16 July 2/2 The morals of this duo were very much impaired. 1930 Amer. Speech VI. 115 (newspaper headline) Date set for bank theft trial of duo. 1942 Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §583/33 Pop duo or trio, a popular team of two or three [entertainers]. 1958 Times 23 Sept. 3/4 They [sc. two Spanish dancers] are a delightfully matched duo. 1958 Listener 16 Oct. 595/2 Richards..ejected the poet, leaving a duo of poem and reader. 1969 Stage 18 Sept. 23/2 (Advt.), Organ-drums duo with vocals. |