'two-form' originates from English, composed of 'two' (from Old English 'twā') and 'form' (from Latin 'forma'), where 'twā' meant 'two' and 'forma' meant 'shape, form'.

'form' passed from Latin 'forma' into Old French 'forme' and Middle English 'form'; the compound usage combining a numeral with 'form' evolved in technical contexts, and in mathematics the notation 'two-form' (also written '2-form') became standard for differential forms of degree two.

Initially the elements 'two' and 'form' literally referred to the number two and to 'shape' or 'form'; in mathematical usage the compound evolved to denote specifically a differential form of degree two (a bilinear alternating covariant tensor).