dou·ble   (dŭb'əl)    adj.   Twice as much in size, strength, number, or amount: a double dose. Composed of two like parts: double doors. Composed of two unlike parts; dual: a double meaning; a double role for an actor. Accommodating or designed for two: a double bed; a double room. Characterized by duplicity; deceitful: speak with a double tongue. Botany Having many more than the usual number of petals, usually in a crowded or an overlapping arrangement: a double chrysanthemum. n.   Something increased twofold. One that closely resembles another; a duplicate. An actor's understudy. An actor who takes the place of another actor in scenes requiring special skills or preparations: a stunt double; a body double. A sharp turn in a direction of movement; a reversal. A sharp, often devious change in position or argument; a shift. A bid in bridge indicating strength to one's partner; a request for a bid. A bid doubling one's opponent's bid in bridge, thus increasing the penalty for failure to fulfill the contract. A hand justifying such a bid. An apparition; a wraith. A sharp turn in a direction of movement; a reversal. A sharp, often devious change in position or argument; a shift. A bid in bridge indicating strength to one's partner; a request for a bid. A bid doubling one's opponent's bid in bridge, thus increasing the penalty for failure to fulfill the contract. A hand justifying such a bid. doubles Sports A form of a game, such as tennis or handball, having two players on each side. Baseball See two-base hit. Games A bid in bridge indicating strength to one's partner; a request for a bid. A bid doubling one's opponent's bid in bridge, thus increasing the penalty for failure to fulfill the contract. A hand justifying such a bid. v.   dou·bled, dou·bling, dou·bles v.   tr. To make twice as great. To be twice as much as: doubled the score of his opponent. To fold in two. To clench (one's fist). To duplicate; repeat. To turn (an enemy spy) into a double agent. Baseball To cause the scoring of (a run) by hitting a two-base hit. To advance or score (a runner) by hitting a two-base hit. Baseball To put out (a runner) as the second part of a double play. Games To challenge (an opponent's bid) with a double in bridge. Music To duplicate (another part or voice) an octave higher or lower or in unison. Nautical To sail around: double a cape. v.   intr. To be increased twofold: The debt soon doubled. To turn sharply or all the way around; reverse one's course: had to double back to touch the missed base. To serve in an additional capacity: a frying pan that doubles as a pie tin; a conductor who doubles as a pianist. To replace an actor in the actor's absence or in a certain scene. Baseball To hit a two-base hit. Games To announce a double in bridge. adv.   To twice the amount or extent; doubly: paid double for the customized car. Two together; in pairs: sleeping double. In two: bent double. Phrasal Verb(s): double up To bend suddenly, as in pain or laughter. To share accommodations meant for one person. Idiom(s): on/at the double Immediately. In double time. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin duplus; see dwo- in Indo-European roots.] dou'ble·ness n.

Double

Dou"ble\, a. [OE. doble, duble, double, OF. doble, duble, double, F. double, fr. L. duplus, fr. the root of duo two, and perh. that of plenus full; akin to Gr. ? double. See Two, and Full, and cf. Diploma, Duple.]

1. Twofold; multiplied by two; increased by its equivalent; made twice as large or as much, etc.

Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. -- 2 Kings ii. 9.

Darkness and tempest make a double night. --Dryden.

2. Being in pairs; presenting two of a kind, or two in a set together; coupled.

[Let] The swan, on still St. Mary's lake, Float double, swan and shadow. --Wordsworth.

3. Divided into two; acting two parts, one openly and the other secretly; equivocal; deceitful; insincere.

With a double heart do they speak. -- Ps. xii. 2.

4. (Bot.) Having the petals in a flower considerably increased beyond the natural number, usually as the result of cultivation and the expense of the stamens, or stamens and pistils. The white water lily and some other plants have their blossoms naturally double.

Note: Double is often used as the first part of a compound word, generally denoting two ways, or twice the number, quantity, force, etc., twofold, or having two.

Double base, or Double bass (Mus.), the largest and lowest-toned instrument in the violin form; the contrabasso or violone.

Double convex. See under Convex.

Double counterpoint (Mus.), that species of counterpoint or composition, in which two of the parts may be inverted, by setting one of them an octave higher or lower.

Double court (Lawn Tennis), a court laid out for four players, two on each side.

Double dagger (Print.), a reference mark ([dag]) next to the dagger ([dagger]) in order; a diesis.

Double drum (Mus.), a large drum that is beaten at both ends.

Double eagle, a gold coin of the United States having the value of 20 dollars.

Double entry. See under Bookkeeping.

Double floor (Arch.), a floor in which binding joists support flooring joists above and ceiling joists below. See Illust. of Double-framed floor.

Double flower. See Double, a., 4.

Double-framed floor (Arch.), a double floor having girders into which the binding joists are framed.

Double fugue (Mus.), a fugue on two subjects.

Double letter. (a) (Print.) Two letters on one shank; a ligature. (b) A mail requiring double postage.

Double note (Mus.), a note of double the length of the semibreve; a breve. See Breve.

Double octave (Mus.), an interval composed of two octaves, or fifteen notes, in diatonic progression; a fifteenth.

Double pica. See under Pica.

Double play (Baseball), a play by which two players are put out at the same time.

Double plea (Law), a plea alleging several matters in answer to the declaration, where either of such matters alone would be a sufficient bar to the action. --Stephen.

Double point (Geom.), a point of a curve at which two branches cross each other. Conjugate or isolated points of a curve are called double points, since they possess most of the properties of double points (see Conjugate). They are also called acnodes, and those points where the branches of the curve really cross are called crunodes. The extremity of a cusp is also a double point.

Double quarrel. (Eccl. Law) See Duplex querela, under Duplex.

Double refraction. (Opt.) See Refraction.

Double salt. (Chem.) (a) A mixed salt of any polybasic acid which has been saturated by different bases or basic radicals, as the double carbonate of sodium and potassium, NaKCO3.6H2O. (b) A molecular combination of two distinct salts, as common alum, which consists of the sulphate of aluminium, and the sulphate of potassium or ammonium.

Double shuffle, a low, noisy dance.

Double standard (Polit. Econ.), a double standard of monetary values; i. e., a gold standard and a silver standard, both of which are made legal tender.

Double star (Astron.), two stars so near to each other as to be seen separate only by means of a telescope. Such stars may be only optically near to each other, or may be physically connected so that they revolve round their common center of gravity, and in the latter case are called also binary stars.

Double time (Mil.). Same as Double-quick.

Double window, a window having two sets of glazed sashes with an air space between them.

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In addition to the idioms beginning with double, also see lead a double life; on the double; see double.