Spanish word

gemelo

Pronunciation

IPA/xeˈmelo/

Meaning

  • masculine nountwin

Example

¿Dónde está tu gemelo?

Where is your twin?

Illustration for gemelo (twin)

More examples

Ayer conocí al gemelo de mi amigo.

Yesterday I met my friend's twin.

Core concept

One of two siblings born in the same birth.

Common phrases

  • conocer al gemelo

    meet the twin

  • presentar a tu gemelo

    introduce your twin

Similar words

mellizo: One of two siblings born in the same pregnancy who developed from different eggs.
siamés: One of two twins born physically joined to each other at birth.
gemela: One of two siblings born in the same pregnancy who is female.

Definition in Spanish

Persona que nace en el mismo parto que otra persona; cada uno de los dos hermanos que llegan al mundo al mismo tiempo.

Word origin

From Latin gemellus, a diminutive of geminus 'twin', the Spanish gemelo preserves the original twin meaning.

Usage tips

  • Spanish commonly uses mi hermano gemelo or the gendered form mi gemela to mark a twin's gender, while mellizo typically refers to fraternal (nonidentical) twins.

Other meanings

  • cufflinknoun

Opposites

  • hijo únicoonly childnoun

Word lists with this word