Couple

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Pronoun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: cou=ple

CIDE DICTIONARY

Couple, n. [F. couple, fr. L. copula a bond, band; co- + apere, aptum, to join. See Art, a., and cf. Copula.].

•  That which joins or links two things together; a bond or tie; a coupler.  [1913 Webster]

  "It is in some sort with friends as it is with dogs in couples; they should be of the same size and humor."  [1913 Webster]

  "I'll go in couples with her."  [1913 Webster]
•  Two of the same kind connected or considered together; a pair; a brace.  [1913 Webster]

  "Adding one to one we have the complex idea of a couple."  [1913 Webster]

  "[Ziba] met him with a couple of asses saddled."  [1913 Webster]
•  A male and female associated together; esp., a man and woman who are married or betrothed.  [1913 Webster]

  "Such were our couple, man and wife."  [1913 Webster]

  "Fair couple linked in happy, nuptial league."  [1913 Webster]
•  See Couple-close.  [1913 Webster]
•  One of the pairs of plates of two metals which compose a voltaic battery; -- called a voltaic couple or galvanic couple.  [1913 Webster]
•  Two rotations, movements, etc., which are equal in amount but opposite in direction, and acting along parallel lines or around parallel axes.  [1913 Webster]

  " The effect of a couple of forces is to produce a rotation. A couple of rotations is equivalent to a motion of translation."  [1913 Webster]

Couple, v. t. [F. coupler, fr. L. copulare. See Couple, n., and cf. Copulate, Cobble, v.].

•  To link or tie, as one thing to another; to connect or fasten together; to join.  [1913 Webster]

  "Huntsman, I charge thee, tender well my hounds, . . .
  And couple Clowder with the deep-mouthed brach."  [1913 Webster]
•  To join in wedlock; to marry.  [1913 Webster]

  "A parson who couples all our beggars."  [1913 Webster]

Couple, v. i. 

 To come together as male and female; to copulate.  Milton. Bacon.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Couple, n. & v.
--n.
1 (usu. foll. by of; often as sing.) a two (a couple of girls). b about two (a couple of hours).
2 (often as sing.) a a married or engaged pair. b a pair of partners in a dance, a game, etc. c a pair of rafters.
3 (pl. couple) a pair of hunting dogs (six couple of hounds).
4 (in pl.) a pair of joined collars used for holding hounds together.
5 Mech. a pair of equal and parallel forces acting in opposite directions, and tending to cause rotation about an axis perpendicular to the plane containing them.
--v.
1 tr. fasten or link together; connect (esp. railway carriages).
2 tr. (often foll. by together, with) associate in thought or speech (papers coupled their names; couple our congratulations with our best wishes).
3 intr. copulate.
4 tr. Physics connect (oscillators) with a coupling.

Etymology

ME f. OF cople, cuple, copler, cupler f. L copulare, L COPULA

THESAURUS

Couple

a few, accouple, accumulate, affiliate, agglutinate, ally, amass, apply, arrange a match, articulate, assemble, associate, ball, band, band together, be in cahoots, be intimate, be made one, be spliced, become one, bind, bond, both, brace, bracket, bridge, bridge over, bunch, bunch up, cabal, cement, cement a union, centralize, chain, clap together, clot, club, club together, cluster, coalesce, cohabit, collect, combine, come together, commit adultery, comprise, concatenate, confederate, conglobulate, congregate, conjoin, conjugate, connect, consociate, conspire, contract matrimony, converge, copulate, correlate, couple up, couplet, cover, crowd, date, diddle, distich, double harness, double-harness, double-team, doublet, draw a parallel, duad, duet, duo, dyad, embrace, encompass, equate, espouse, federalize, federate, flock together, flow together, forgather, fornicate, frig, fuse, gang, gang around, gang up, gather, gather around, get hitched, give away, glue, go in partners, go in partnership, group, harness, have sex, have sexual relations, herd together, hitch, hive, hook up, hook up with, horde, huddle, identify, include, intermarry, interrelate, interwed, join, join forces, join fortunes with, join together, join up with, join with, knot, lay, lay together, league, lie with, link, look-alikes, lump together, make a match, make it with, make love, make one, make out, marry, marshal, mass, match, matching pair, mate, mates, meet, merge, mill, miscegenate, mobilize, mount, muster, nuptial, one or two, organize, pair, pair off, parallel, parallelize, partner, piece together, put together, rally, rally around, relate, relativize, remarry, rendezvous, rewed, roll into one, screw, seethe, serve, service, set, set of two, several, sleep with, solder, span, splice, stand together, stand up with, stick together, stream, surge, swarm, take in, take to wife, tape, team, team up, team up with, team with, the two, throng, throw in with, tie, tie in with, tie up with, twain, twins, two, twosome, unify, unionize, unite, unite in marriage, unite with, wed, weld, wive, yoke

ROGET THESAURUS

Couple

Junction

VB join, unite, conjoin, connect, associate, put together, lay together, clap together, hang together, lump together, hold together, piece together, tack together, fix together, bind up together together, embody, reembody, roll into one, attach, fix, affix, saddle on, fasten, bind, secure, clinch, twist, make fast, tie, pinion, string, strap, sew, lace, tat, stitch, tack, knit, button, buckle, hitch, lash, truss, bandage, braid, splice, swathe, gird, tether, moor, picket, harness, chain, fetter, lock, latch, belay, brace, hook, grapple, leash, couple, accouple, link, yoke, bracket, marry, bridge over, span, braze, pin, nail, bolt, hasp, clasp, clamp, crimp, screw, rivet, impact, solder, set, weld together, fuse together, wedge, rabbet, mortise, miter, jam, dovetail, enchase, graft, ingraft, inosculate, entwine, intwine, interlink, interlace, intertwine, intertwist, interweave, entangle, twine round, belay, tighten, trice up, screw up, be joined, hang together, hold together, cohere.

Duality

N duality, dualism, duplicity, biplicity, biformity, polarity, two, deuce, couple, duet, brace, pair, cheeks, twins, Castor and Pollux, gemini, Siamese twins, fellows, yoke, conjugation, dispermy, doublets, dyad, span, two, twin, dual, dualistic, double, binary, binomial, twin, biparous, dyadic, conduplicate, duplex, biduous, binate, diphyletic, dispermic, unijugate, tete-a-tete, coupled, conjugate, both, both the one and the other.

VB pair, couple, bracket, yoke, conduplicate, mate, span.

Marriage

VB marry, wive, take to oneself a wife, be married, be spliced, go off, pair off, wed, espouse, get hitched, lead to the hymeneal altar, take 'for better for worse', give one's hand to, bestow one's hand upon, marry, join, handfast, couple, tie the nuptial knot, give away, give away in marriage, seal, ally, affiance, betroth, publish the banns, bid the banns, be asked in church.