duplex

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duplex

/ˈdu.plɛks/ US

Rhymes with -uːplɛks

Where it comes from

PIE word

*dwóh₁

Borrowed from Latin duplex (“double, two-fold”), from duo (“two”) + plico (“fold together”); compare the roots of διπλόος (diplóos, “double”); compare also πλέκω (plékō, “twist, braid”). By surface analysis, duo- + -plex.

adjective

not comparable Having two floors.
not comparable Having two units, divisions, suites, or apartments.
not comparable Of stainless steel: having a structure containing austenite and ferrite in roughly equal proportions. Duplex stainless steels have been classified according to the first period (1930–1960) and second period (1960–1990). The designations for these duplex alloys in the United States have been primarily according to Unified Numbering System (UNS) numbers in the S3xxx.x series.
not comparable Bidirectional (in two directions). duplex telegraphy
Opposite: simplex, unidirectional
not comparable Having horizons with contrasting textures. Soils are duplex, sandy and solodic. The dominant trees are the stringybark eucalypts […]

noun duplexes · duplices

Australia, Canada, US A house made up of two dwelling units. The house had been renovated into a duplex and he’d put in a phone line.
Similar: semi-detached house
US A dwelling unit with two floors.
A cancellation combining a numerical cancellation with a second mark showing time, date, and place of posting.
A throwing motion where two balls are thrown with one hand at the same time.
A double-stranded polynucleotide.
A system of multiple thrust faults bounded above and below by a roof thrust and floor thrust. In contrast, the folds in the overlying lithotectonic unit 4 are larger and are cut by a series of faults in a duplex.

verb duplexes · duplexing · duplexed

To make duplex.
To make into a duplex.
To make a series of duplex throws.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: bidirectional, multiple, duplex apartment, duplex house, semidetached house, double-sided, dual, duplicate, full-duplex, paired, double, twofold, twin, binary, coupled, two-way

Translations

Every language

adj made up of two parts

中文	雙重的 /双重的
Ελληνικά	διπλός diplós, διμερής dimerís

adj telecommunication: in two directions

Español	dúplex
中文	雙向的 /双向的, 雙工 /双工 shuānggōng
Ελληνικά	αμφίδρομος amfídromos
Tiếng Việt	song công

noun house

Español	dúplex
Français	duplex
Deutsch	Doppelhaus
Italiano	bifamiliare
Ελληνικά	διπλοκατοικία diplokatoikía

noun philately: double cancellation

Français	flamme postale, flamme

noun juggling: throwing motion

Français	duplex

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MLA

"duplex." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/duplex. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

duplex. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/duplex

Chicago

"duplex." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/duplex.

BibTeX

@misc{duplex_2026,
  title = {duplex},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/duplex},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}