pair

Pair of porcelain Rococo figurines, circa 1755 (sense 1)

Meanings

Noun

  • Two similar or identical things taken together; often followed by of.
  • Two people in a relationship, partnership or friendship.
  • A couple of working animals attached to work together, as by a yoke.
  • A poker hand that contains two cards of identical rank, which cannot also count as a better hand.
  • A score of zero runs (a duck) in both innings of a two-innings match.
  • A double play, two outs recorded in one play.
  • A doubleheader, two games played on the same day between the same teams
  • A boat for two sweep rowers.
  • A pair of breasts
  • A pair of testicles
  • The exclusion of one member of a parliamentary party from a vote, if a member of the other party is absent for important personal reasons.
  • Two members of opposite parties or opinion, as in a parliamentary body, who mutually agree not to vote on a given question, or on issues of a party nature during a specified time.
  • A number of things resembling one another, or belonging together; a set.
  • In a mechanism, two elements, or bodies, which are so applied to each other as to mutually constrain relative motion; named in accordance with the motion it permits, as in turning pair, sliding pair, twisting pair.

Verb

  • To group into one or more sets of two.
  • to link two electronic devices wirelessly together, especially through a protocol such as Bluetooth
  • To bring two (animals, notably dogs) together for mating.
  • To engage (oneself) with another of opposite opinions not to vote on a particular question or class of questions.
  • To suit; to fit, as a counterpart.
  • To impair, to make worse.
  • To become worse, to deteriorate.

Origin

  • From Middle English paire, from Old French paire, from Latin paria, neuter plural of pār.
  • From Middle English pairen, peiren, shortened form of apeiren, empeiren, from Old French empeirier, empoirier, from Late Latin peiōrō.

Modern English dictionary

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