Deuce
/djuːs/noun
The face value two in dice, cards, and some games; also an exclamation or euphemistic reference in set phrases.
Did you know?The same Latin ancestor behind deuce also gave English the word for a divine pair in titles like Duke and duet-adjacent forms, showing how “two” became a powerful organizing idea in language.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dwóh₁
“two”
Latin
Latin
duo
“two”
Old French
OFr
deus
“two”
Middle English
English
deuce
“two; the two-spot on dice or cards”
Modern English
English
deuce
“the card or die showing two; also used in tennis scoring and in exclamations”