Mark Twain is the pen name of Samuel Clemens. Many scholars believe that he chose this name because of his experience working as a riverboat pilot. The phrase mark twain is a nautical term for water found to be two fathoms (12 feet [3.7 meters]) deep: mark (measure) twain (two).
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style