twoscore (English)

Where does "twoscore" come from?

The English noun 'twoscore', meaning 'forty', is formed as a compound of 'two' and 'score'[1]. The first element descends through Middle English 'two', Old English 'twā', and Proto-Germanic '*twai' back to Proto-Indo-European '*dwóh₁'[2]. The second element traces from Middle English 'score' and Old English 'scoru', meaning 'notch' or 'tally', which was borrowed from Old Norse 'skor' and ultimately relates to the Proto-Indo-European root '*(s)ker-' meaning 'to cut'[3]. The numerical sense of twenty in 'score' originated from the marks made on a tally by drovers for every twenty beasts passing through a tollgate[3].

Open questions

The ultimate Proto-Indo-European root for score rests on historical comparison rather than direct attestation. [3] [6]

Full etymology tree

twoscore (English), 'Forty.'
- compound two (English), 'A numerical value equal to 2; this many dots (••).'
  - inherited two (Middle English), 'two'
    - inherited twa (Old English), 'nominative/accusative feminine/neuter of twēġen'
      - inherited *twai- (Proto-West Germanic), 'two'
        inherited *twai (Proto-Germanic), 'two'
        inherited *dwóh₁ (Proto-Indo-European), 'two'
- compound score (English), 'The total number of goals, points, runs, etc. earned by a participant in a game.'
  - inherited score (Middle English), 'score'
    - inherited scoru (Old English), 'notch, mark, tally'
      - borrowed skor (Old Norse), 'a score, notch, incision'
        inherited *skurō (Proto-Germanic)
        inherited *(s)ker- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to cut off, sever'

Ancestors

two (English)
score (English)

Sources

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris