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8 dictionary results for: coupling

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

cou·pling

[kuhp-ling] Pronunciation Key

–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 clutch¹ (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, -ing¹

]

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

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

cou·ple

[kuhp-uh

l] Pronunciation Key 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 12¹/₂ 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)

]

—Related forms

cou·ple·a·ble, adjective

—Usage note The phrase a couple of has been in standard use for centuries, especially with measurements of time and distance and in referring to amounts of money: They walked a couple of miles in silence. Repairs will probably cost a couple of hundred dollars. The phrase is used in all but the most formal speech and writing. The shortened phrase a couple, without of (The gas station is a couple miles from here), is an Americanism of recent development that occurs chiefly in informal speech or representations of speech. Without a following noun, the phrase is highly informal: Jack shouldn't drive. I think he's had a couple. (Here the noun drinks is omitted.)
In referring to two people, couple, like many collective nouns, may take either a singular or a plural verb. Most commonly, it is construed as a plural: The couple were traveling to Texas. See also collective noun.

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

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

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"

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American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

coupling cou·pling n.

The act of uniting sexually.
See bigeminal rhythm.
The configuration of two different mutant genes on the same chromosome, leading to the likelihood they will both either be inherited or omitted in the next generation.

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Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

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)

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Coupling

Coup"ling\ (-l?ng), n. 1. The act of bringing or coming together; connection; sexual union.

2. (Mach.) A device or contrivance which serves to couple or connect adjacent parts or objects; as, a belt coupling, which connects the ends of a belt; a car coupling, which connects the cars in a train; a shaft coupling, which connects the ends of shafts.

Box coupling, Chain coupling. See under Box, Chain.

Coupling box, a coupling shaped like a journal box, for clamping together the ends of two shafts, so that they may revolve together.

Coupling pin, a pin or bolt used in coupling or joining together railroad cars, etc.

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