Coupling definition | Dictionary.com

cou⋅pling

[kuhp-ling]

–noun

1.	the act of a person or thing that couples.

Machinery.

a.	a device for joining two rotating shafts semipermanently at their ends so as to transmit torque from one to the other. Compare clutch ¹ (def. 12a).

b.	a part with an inside thread for connecting two pipes of the same diameter.

c.	a fitting at the end of a length of hose into which the end of another such length can be screwed or fitted.

3.	Railroads. coupler (def. 3).

Electricity.

a.	the association of two circuits or systems in such a way that power may be transferred from one to the other.

b.	a device or expedient to ensure this.

5.	a short length of plumbing pipe having each end threaded on the inside.

6.	the part of the body between the tops of the shoulder blades and the tops of the hip joints in a dog, horse, etc.

7.	linkage (def. 5).

Origin:
1300–50; ME; see couple, -ing ¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Language Translation for : Coupling

Spanish:

acoplamiento, enganche,

German:

die Verbindung,

Japanese:

連結 (器)

View 30 other languages »

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cou⋅ple

[kuhp-uh

noun, verb, -pled, -pling.

–noun

1.	two of the same sort considered together; pair.

2.	two persons considered as joined together, as a married or engaged pair, lovers, or dance partners: They make a handsome couple.

3.	any two persons considered together.

4.	Mechanics. a pair of equal, parallel forces acting in opposite directions and tending to produce rotation.

5.	Also called couple-close. Carpentry. a pair of rafters connected by a tie beam or collar beam.

6.	a leash for holding two hounds together.

7.	Fox Hunting. two hounds: 25 hounds or 12 ¹/₂ couple.

–verb (used with object)

8.	to fasten, link, or associate together in a pair or pairs.

9.	to join; connect.

10.	to unite in marriage or in sexual union.

11.

Electricity.

a.	to join or associate by means of a coupler.

b.	to bring (two electric circuits or circuit components) close enough to permit an exchange of electromagnetic energy.

–verb (used without object)

12.	to join in a pair; unite.

13.	to copulate.

—Idiom

14.	a couple of, more than two, but not many, of; a small number of; a few: It will take a couple of days for the package to get there. Also, a couple.

Origin:
1175–1225; (n.) ME < AF c(o)uple, OF cople, cuple < L cōpula a tie, bond (see copula ); (v.) ME couplen < AF co(u)pler, OF copler, cupler < L copulāre (see copulate )

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Cite This Source

cou·ple (kŭp'əl) Pronunciation Key
n.

Two items of the same kind; a pair.
Something that joins or connects two things together; a link.
(used with a sing. or pl. verb)
1. Two people united, as by betrothal or marriage.
2. Two people together.
Informal A few; several: a couple of days.
Physics A pair of forces of equal magnitude acting in parallel but opposite directions, capable of causing rotation but not translation.

v. cou·pled, cou·pling, cou·ples

v. tr.

To link together; connect: coupled her refusal with an explanation.
1. To join as spouses; marry.
2. To join in sexual union.
Electricity To link (two circuits or currents) as by magnetic induction.

v. intr.

To form pairs; join.
To unite sexually; copulate.
To join chemically.

adj. Informal
Two or few: "Every couple years the urge strikes, to . . . haul off to a new site" (Garrison Keillor).

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin cōpula, bond, pair.]

Usage Note: When used to refer to two people who function socially as a unit, as in a married couple, the word couple may take either a singular or a plural verb, depending on whether the members are considered individually or collectively: The couple were married last week. Only one couple was left on the dance floor. When a pronoun follows, they and their are more common than it and its: The couple decided to spend their (less commonly its) vacation in Florida. Using a singular verb and a plural pronoun, as in The couple wants their children to go to college, is widely considered to be incorrect. Care should be taken that the verb and pronoun agree in number: The couple want their children to go to college. · Although the phrase a couple of has been well established in English since before the Renaissance, modern critics have sometimes maintained that a couple of is too inexact to be appropriate in formal writing. But the inexactitude of a couple of may serve a useful purpose, suggesting that the writer is indifferent to the precise number of items involved. Thus the sentence She lives only a couple of miles away implies not only that the distance is short but that its exact measure is unimportant. This usage should be considered unobjectionable on all levels of style. · The of in the phrase a couple of is often dropped in speech, but this omission is usually considered a mistake, especially in formal contexts. Three-fourths of the Usage Panel finds the sentence I read a couple books over vacation to be unacceptable; however, another 20% of the Panel finds the sentence to be acceptable in informal speech and writing.

cou·pling (kŭp'lĭng) Pronunciation Key
n.

The act of linking together or forming couples.
The act of uniting sexually.
A device that links or connects.
Electronics Transfer of energy from one circuit to another.
The body part of a four-footed animal that connects the hindquarters to the forequarters.

coupling
noun
1.	a connection (like a clamp or vise) between two things so they move together [syn: yoke]
2.	a mechanical device that serves to connect the ends of adjacent objects
3.	the act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes; "the casual couplings of adolescents"; "the mating of some species occurs only in the spring"

coupling programming, hardware
The degree to which components depend on one another. There are two types of coupling, "tight" and "loose". Loose coupling is desirable for good software engineering but tight coupling may be necessary for maximum performance. Coupling is increased when the data exchanged between components becomes larger or more complex.
(1996-08-01)

Coupling

Cou"ple\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Coupled (k?p"'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Coupling (-l?ng).] [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.