dyad

Definition

A set of two elements treated as one; a pair.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δυάς (duás), δυάδ- (duád-) from δύο (dúo, “two”), from Proto-Indo-European *duwó, *duwéh₃ (*dwóh₁). The mathematics sense was coined by American scientist Josiah Willard Gibbs in 1884 in the second half of his book Elements of Vector Analysis.

Example Sentences

• "[…] positing a dyad and constructing the infinite out of great and small, instead of treating the infinite as one, is peculiar to him; […]"
• "McNamee describes their grip on the company as “the most centralized decision-making structure I have ever encountered in a large company.” Their power dyad is possible only because Facebook’s “core platform,” as McNamee puts it, is relatively simple: It “consists of a product and a monetization scheme.”"
• "For each individual in a specific dyad (i.e., mother-offspring, offspring-father, sibling-sibling), […]"

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