Duopoly
/djuːˈɒp.əl.i/noun
A market or system controlled by two dominant sellers or powers.
Did you know?Duopoly is built from Greek *dyo* (“two”) + *polein* (“to sell”), and its root *pole-* also gave English words like *polemic* and *apology* through the idea of speaking back or “bargaining” in public life.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
δυοπωλία (duōpōlía)
“selling by two parties; a market with two sellers”
Late Greek / Byzantine
Greek
δουοπωλία / δυοπωλία
“a two-seller arrangement or condition”
16th–17th Century
Latin/English
duopoly
“a state of two sellers or two holders of a trade”
Modern English
English
duopoly
“a market dominated by two firms or powers”
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