different between twee vs tweely

English

Etymology

From a childish pronunciation of sweet. The Oxford English Dictionary records the first use in 1905 in Punch.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /twi?/
• Rhymes: -i?

Adjective

twee (comparative more twee or tweer, superlative most twee or tweest)

1. (Britain, derogatory) Overly quaint, dainty, cute or nice.

   Those Beatrix Potter animals are a little twee for my taste.

Synonyms

• cutesy (US)
• precious
• saccharine
• syrupy

Related terms

• twee pop

Anagrams

• ewte, weet

Afrikaans

Alternative forms

• twé (obsolete)

Etymology

From Dutch twee, from Middle Dutch twee, twe, from Old Dutch tw?, neuter form of tw?ne, from Proto-West Germanic *twai-, from Proto-Germanic *twai, from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tv???/, /tve?/

Numeral

twee

1. two

Anagrams

• weet

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t?e?/
• Hyphenation: twee
• Rhymes: -e?

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch twêe, from Old Dutch tw?, neuter form of tw?ne, from Proto-West Germanic *twai-, from Proto-Germanic *twai, from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh?i.

Numeral

twee

1. two

Derived terms

• tweebaans
• tweehonderd
• tweetal
• tweetalig
• tweetallig
• tweebenig

Descendants

• Afrikaans: twee

Etymology 2

Noun

twee f (plural tweeën, diminutive tweetje n)

1. two

Anagrams

• weet
• wete

Low German

Alternative forms

• twei (Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch)

Etymology

From Middle Low German twê, from Old Saxon twene (“two”).

Numeral

twee

1. two

Coordinate terms

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch tw?, neuter form of tw?ne, from Proto-West Germanic *twai-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /twe?/

Numeral

twêe

1. two

Descendants

• Dutch: twee
• Limburgish: twei, twieë
• Zealandic: tweê

Further reading

• “twee”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929) , “twee”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, ?ISBN

Plautdietsch

Etymology

From Middle Low German twê, from Old Saxon twene (“two”).

Numeral

twee

1. two, twain

English

Etymology

twee +? -ly

Adverb

tweely (comparative more tweely, superlative most tweely)

1. In a twee manner.