Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Twofold; double.
  • adjective Having two apartments, divisions, or floors.
  • adjective Relating to or being a single assembly of machinery having two identical units that are capable of operating simultaneously or independently.
  • adjective Electronics Of or relating to a communications mode, as in a telephone system, that provides simultaneous transmission and reception in both directions.
  • noun A house divided into two living units or residences, usually having separate entrances.
  • noun Something, such as an apartment, that is duplex.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In telegraphy, to arrange (a wire) so that two messages may be transmitted along it at the same time.
  • To transmit telegraphic messages by the duplex system.
  • Double; twofold.
  • noun A doubling or duplicating.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb (Teleg.) To arrange, as a telegraph line, so that two messages may be transmitted simultaneously; to equip with a duplex telegraphic outfit.
  • noun something which is duplex; -- used mostly in reference to a living unit, such as an apartment, in a building having two similar living units.
  • noun (Biology, Genetics) a double-stranded region in a nucleic acid molecule. See deoxyribonucleic acid.
  • adjective Double; twofold.
  • adjective (Computers) organized so that data may be transmitted in two opposite directions over the same channel; -- of communications channels, such as data transfer lines between computers.
  • adjective a peculiar kind of watch escapement, in which the scape-wheel has two sets of teeth. See Escapement.
  • adjective one for turning off, screwing, and surfacing, by means of two cutting tools, on opposite sides of the piece operated upon.
  • adjective a steam pump in which two steam cylinders are placed side by side, one operating the valves of the other.
  • adjective (Eccl. Law) a complaint in the nature of an appeal from the ordinary to his immediate superior, as from a bishop to an archbishop.
  • adjective a system of telegraphy for sending two messages over the same wire simultaneously.
  • adjective one with a duplex escapement.
  • adjective (Computers) arranged so that the information transmitted to the remote computer also appears on the local terminal; -- of communications channels between computers; contrasted with full duplex(b).
  • adjective (Computers) arranged so that the information transmitted to the remote computer does not appear on the local terminal; -- of communications channels between computers; contrasted with half duplex(b).

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective double, made up of two parts
  • adjective two direction (electronical signaling)
  • noun house made up of two dwelling units
  • noun philately a cancellation combining a numerical cancellation with a second mark showing time, date, and place of posting.
  • noun juggling throwing motion where two balls are thrown with one hand at the same time.
  • verb To make duplex.
  • verb To make into a duplex.
  • verb jugging To make a series of duplex throws.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a house with two units sharing a common wall
  • verb change into a duplex
  • adjective (used technically of a device or process) having two parts
  • noun an apartment having rooms on two floors that are connected by a staircase
  • adjective allowing communication in opposite directions simultaneously

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin; see dwo- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin duplex ("double, two-fold"), from duo ("two") + plico ("fold together"), from Ancient Greek πλέκω (pleko, "twist, braid").

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Examples

  • What I call a duplex is a property with two units, both on the same deed; this is the "smallest" kind of multi-family.

    BiggerPockets Forums 2009

  • What I call a duplex is a property with two units, both on the same deed; this is the "smallest" kind of multi-family.

    BiggerPockets Forums mjmccabe76 2009

  • According to Chicago Curbed, three units have been sold, but unit 202, a 2,964 square-foot 4 bedroom, 3.1 bath duplex is still on the market.

    A Look Inside The Meeker Mansion Condo (PHOTOS) The Huffington Post News Team 2010

  • Our home is what might be called a duplex, in that we share a common wall with one other unit.

    MarketWatch.com - Top Stories 2011

  • Two unit properties are commonly referred to as a duplex; three units a tri-plex, four units a four-plex, quadplex or quadruplex.

    Mortgage News Daily - Mortgage And Real Estate News Anonymous 2010

  • Bryan Derballa for The Wall Street Journal The centerpiece of the duplex is a cast-iron and mahogany staircase that was welded together inside the home.

    Hand-Crafted in Tribeca Maya Pope-Chappell 2011

  • Natalie Keyssar for The Wall Street Journal Inside, however, the duplex is an eye-catching space decorated with colorful artwork and eclectic furnishings from the couple's travels around the world.

    An Interior Surprise in Queens Maya Pope-Chappell 2011

  • Natalie Keyssar for The Wall Street Journal Also in the duplex is a home office that Mr. Lynskey created with stainless steel countertops.

    An Homage To Keith Haring Corrie Driebusch 2012

  • At the centerpiece of the duplex is a cast-iron and mahogany staircase that was welded together inside the home.

    Home Is Where the Art Is Maya Pope-Chappell 2011

  • Laraine and Francine have second jobs: Their mother and disabled brother live in Francine's duplex, which is 10 blocks from their childhood home, and they help her take care of him.

    Nancy Ruhling: Astoria Characters: The Sister Act 2010

Comments

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  • "It is incredible how much energy we waste, on a total lifecycle basis. As yet another example, why doesn't every printer support automatic duplexing, by default? That feature alone would reduce paper (and associated energy to produce it) consumption by up to 50%."

    - Timothy Sipples, blog comment on smarterplanet.com, 24 Nov 2008.

    January 29, 2009

  • We've finally gone over to this practice company-wide at my office. :-)

    January 29, 2009

  • I was thinking about this today. We're a small mob so as it happens we don't have a printer that will do it automatically. It can be done, by Venere, but this requires printing one side of the paper first, re-inserting same in the paper cartridge and then printing the second side.

    I was about to spend some time researching the costs of a duplex-capable printer when I smelled the strong aroma of cake sidling in from the corridor. This was most unusual. Our corridor typically smells like a hospital basement, or sweaty teenagers, or both.

    January 29, 2009

  • Maybe it's a duplex-capable printer cake.

    January 29, 2009

  • Hope they are using jam-free paper.

    January 29, 2009

  • Heehee!

    January 30, 2009