Twi

¹

Also Tshi

[chwee, chee, twee]

noun

1. a Kwa language spoken in Ghana that is mutually intelligible with Fanti.

twi-

²

1. a combining form meaning “two,” “twice”.

   twibill.

Twi

/ twiː /

noun

1. Formerly called: Ashanti. a language of S Ghana: one of the two chief dialects of Akan Compare Fanti

2. a member of the Negroid people who speak this language

Word History and Origins

Origin of Twi¹

Middle English, Old English; cognate with German zwie- ( Old High German zwi- ), Latin bi-, Greek di-. See two

Example Sentences

"It was English that was spoken in the house when I was growing up - that and the Ghanaian language called Twi," he said.

From BBC

"I didn't understand Ga. I didn't understand Twi. I didn't understand Pidgin," the 49-year-old tells me.

From BBC

But his critics have doubts, pointing out that Ghana plunged into its worst electricity crisis during his first term and the power cuts were so bad that Mahama joked at the time that he was known as "Mr Dumsor" - "dum" means "off" and "sor" means "on" in the local Twi language.

From BBC

The power cuts were so bad that Mahama joked at the time that he was known as "Mr Dumsor" - dum means off and sor means on in the local Twi language.

From BBC

Even in her old age, the story goes, she loved to speak the Twi language she had been taught as a little girl by Prempeh herself.

From BBC

When To Use

What does twi- mean?

Twi- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “two” or “twice.” It appears in some older, mostly obsolete and rare terms.Twi- ultimately comes from the Old English twi-, closely related to two, twelve, twice, twin, and even twig. The Latin counterpart to twi- is bi- and the Greek is di-.Twi- isn’t productive in English today, with two, twin, and twice variously combined with words to do the former work of twi-. Combining forms derived from other languages, such as bi- or di-, are widely used, especially in technical terms.