adv. [ OE. ywis, iwis, AS. gewis certain; akin to D. gewis, G. gewiss, and E. wit to know. See Wit to know, and Y-. ] Certainly; most likely; truly; probably. [ Obs. or Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

“Ywis, ” quod he, “it is full dear, I say.” Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

She answered me, “I-wisse, all their sport in the park is but a shadow to that pleasure that I find in Plato.” Ascham. [ 1913 Webster ]

A right good knight, and true of word ywis. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The common form iwis was often written with the prefix apart from the rest of the word and capitalized, as, I wis, I wisse, etc. The prefix was mistaken for the pronoun, I and wis, wisse, for a form of the verb wit to know. See Wis, and cf. Wit, to know. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our ship, I wis,
Shall be of another form than this. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. twibill; twi- (in comp.) two + bill, bil, an ax, hoe, bill. See Twice, and Bill a cutting instrument. ] 1. A kind of mattock, or ax; esp., a tool like a pickax, but having, instead of the points, flat terminations, one of which is parallel to the handle, the other perpendicular to it. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A tool for making mortises. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A reaping hook. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Armed or provided with a twibil or twibils. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ OE. twies (where the s is the adverbial ending; see -wards), twie, AS. twiges, twiwa; akin to twi- (in comp.) two, G. zwie-, OHG. zwi-, Icel. tvī-, L. bi-, Gr. di-, Skr. dvi-, and E. two. See Two. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Two times; once and again. [ 1913 Webster ]

He twice essayed to cast his son in gold. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Doubly; in twofold quantity or degree; as, twice the sum; he is twice as fortunate as his neighbor. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞Twice is used in the formation of compounds, mostly self-explaining; as, twice-born, twice-conquered, twice-planted, twice-told, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To play with anything; hence, to be busy about trifles. Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Probably of imitative origin. Cf. Tweedle. ] To touch lightly, or play with; to tweedle; to twirl; as, to twiddle one's thumbs; to twiddle a watch key. [ Written also twidle. ] Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A slight twist with the fingers. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A pimple. [ Prov. Eng. ] Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Twifallowed p. pr. & vb. n. Twifallowing. ] [ AS. twi- (see Twice) two + fallow. ] To plow, or fallow, a second time (land that has been once fallowed). [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ AS. twifeald. See Twice, and cf. Twofold. ] Twofold; double. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To beat with twigs. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Twigged p. pr. & vb. n. Twigging. ] [ Cf. Tweak. ] To twitch; to pull; to tweak. [ Obs. or Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]