COUPLE

couple, twosome, duo, duet

(noun) a pair who associate with one another; “the engaged couple”; “an inseparable twosome”

couple, mates, match

(noun) a pair of people who live together; “a married couple from Chicago”

couple

(noun) (physics) something joined by two equal and opposite forces that act along parallel lines

couple, pair, twosome, twain, brace, span, yoke, couplet, distich, duo, duet, dyad, duad

(noun) two items of the same kind

couple

(noun) a small indefinite number; “he’s coming for a couple of days”

match, mate, couple, pair, twin

(verb) bring two objects, ideas, or people together; “This fact is coupled to the other one”; “Matchmaker, can you match my daughter with a nice young man?”; “The student was paired with a partner for collaboration on the project”

couple, couple on, couple up

(verb) link together; “can we couple these proposals?”

copulate, mate, pair, couple

(verb) engage in sexual intercourse; “Birds mate in the Spring”

pair, pair off, partner off, couple

(verb) form a pair or pairs; “The two old friends paired off”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

couple (plural couples)

Two partners in a romantic or sexual relationship.

Two of the same kind connected or considered together.

(informal) A small number.

One of the pairs of plates of two metals which compose a voltaic battery, called a voltaic couple or galvanic couple.

(physics) Two forces that are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction (and acting along parallel lines), thus creating the turning effect of a torque or moment.

(architecture) A couple-close.

(obsolete) That which joins or links two things together; a bond or tie; a coupler.

Usage notes

• A traditional and still broadly accepted usage of couple is as a noun followed by "of" to mean "two", as in "a couple of people". In this usage, "a couple of" is equivalent to "a pair of".

• The very widespread use of the same expression (e.g. "a couple of people") to mean any small number is often considered informal but is in fact very old and often considered unobjectionable on all levels of style, sometimes even contradictorily by the same publication that labels this use as informal elsewhere on the same page, e.g. the American Heritage Dictionary.

• Couple or a couple is also used informally and formally as an adjective or determiner (see definition below) to mean "a few", in which case it is not followed by "of". Many usage manuals advise against this widespread use although the Merriam-Webster Dictionary points out that this use before a word indicating degree is standard in both UK and UK English (e.g. "a couple more examples" or "a couple less problems"). Only its use before an ordinary plural noun is an Americanism, which the dictionary explains is "common in speech and in writing that is not meant to be formal or elevated". This use is especially frequent with numbers, time, and other measurements, such as "a couple hundred", "a couple minutes", and "a couple dozen".

Synonyms

• (two partners)

• (two things of the same kind): brace, pair; see also duo

• (a small number of): few, handful

Adjective

couple (not comparable)

(informal, US) Two or (a) small number of.

Determiner

couple

(colloquial, US) Two or a few, a small number of.

Verb

couple (third-person singular simple present couples, present participle coupling, simple past and past participle coupled)

(transitive) To join (two things) together, or (one thing) to (another).

(transitive, dated) To join in wedlock; to marry.

(intransitive) To join in sexual intercourse; to copulate.

Synonyms

• (to join together): affix, attach, put together; see also join

• (to join in wedlock): bewed, espouse; see also marry

• (to join in sexual intercourse): have sex, make love; see also copulate

Anagrams

• culpeo

Source: Wiktionary

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Cou"ple (kp"'l), n. Etym: [F. couple, fr. L. copula a bond, band; co- + apere, aptum, ti join. See Art, a., and cf.Copula.]

1. That which joins or links two things together; a bond or tie; a coupler. [Obs.] It is in some sort with friends as it is with dogs in couples; they should be of the same size and humor. L'Estrange. I'll go in couples with her. Shak.

2. Two of the same kind connected or considered together; a pair; a brace. "A couple of shepherds." Sir P. Sidney. "A couple of drops" Adduson. "A couple of miles." Dickens. "A couple of weeks." Carlyle. Adding one to one we have the complex idea of a couple. Locke. [Ziba] met him with a couple of asses saddled. 2 Sam. xvi. 1.

3. A male and female associated together; esp., a man and woman who are married or betrothed. Such were our couple, man and wife. Lloyd. Fair couple linked in happy, nuptial league. Milton.

4. (Arch.)

Definition: See Couple-close.

5. (Elec.)

Definition: One of the pairs of plates of two metals which compose a voltaic battery; -- called a voltaic couple or galvanic couple.

6. (Mech.)

Definition: Two rotations, movements, etc., which are equal in amount but opposite in direction, and acting along parallel lines or around parallel axes.

Note: The effect of a couple of forces is to produce a rotation. A couple of rotations is equivalent to a motion of translation.

Cou"ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Coupled (kp"'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Coupling (-lng).] Etym: [F. coupler, fr. L. copulare. See Couple, n., and cf. Copulate, Cobble, v. ]

1. To link or tie, as one thing to another; to connect or fasten together; to join. Huntsman, I charge thee, tender well my hounds, . . . And couple Clowder with the deep-mouthed brach. Shak.

2. To join in wedlock; to marry. [Colloq.] A parson who couples all our beggars. Swift.

Cou"ple, v. i.

Definition: To come together as male and female; to copulate. [Obs.] Milton. Bacon.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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