pair
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: pâr
ipa: /pɛə(ɹ)/
enpr: pâr
ipa: /pɛ(ə)ɹ/
ipa: /peː/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /ˈpeə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /ˈpiə/
ipa: /ˈpeɹ/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /ˈpɜː(ɹ)/
homophone: pare
homophone: pear
homophone: pere
homophone: peer
homophone: pier (both cheer–chair merger)
homophone: per
homophone: purr (both fair–fur merger)
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
Forms: form: pairs
form: pairing
form: paired
form: paired
Etymology: From Middle English paire, from Old French paire, from Latin paria (“equals”), neuter plural of par (“pair”). Related to pār (“equal”, adjective). Compare Saterland Frisian Poor (“pair”), West Frisian pear (“pair”), Dutch paar (“pair”), German Paar (“pair”), Italian paio (“pair”)
Senses: examples: text: The wedding guests were paired boy/girl and groom's party/bride's party.
text: Brown as I am, an Ethiopian dame / Inspired young Perseus with a gen’rous flame; / Turtles and doves of diff’ring hues unite, / And glossy jet is paired with shining white.
ref: a. 1744, Alexander Pope, “Sappho to Phaon”, in John Wilson Croker, editor, The Works of Alexander Pope, new edition, volume I, J. Murray, published 1871, pages 94–95:
glosses: To group into one or more sets of two.
examples: text: It was not possible to pair my smartphone with an incompatible smartwatch.
text: If your computer has a built-in, non-Microsoft transceiver, you can pair the device directly to the computer by using your computer’s Bluetooth software configuration program but without using the Microsoft Bluetooth transceiver.
ref: 2015, Microsoft, “How-to: Keyboards”, in http://www.microsoft.com, retrieved 21 Feb 2015:
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: to link two electronic devices wirelessly together, especially through a protocol such as Bluetooth.
glosses: To bring two (animals, notably dogs) together for mating.
examples: text: The raven, in short, when he pairs, which he does at the earliest moment permitted by the laws of ravendom, pairs for life […]
ref: 1883, Alexander Stewart, Nether Lochaber, page 112:
glosses: To come together for mating.
topics: government
politics
glosses: To engage (oneself) with another of opposite opinions not to vote on a particular question or class of questions.
examples: text: My Heart was made to fit and pair with thine, / Simple and plain, and fraught with artleſs Tenderneſs; / Form’d to receive one Love, and only one, / But pleas’d and proud, and dearly fond of that, / It knows not what there can be in Variety, / And would not if it could.
ref: 1707, Nicholas Rowe, The Royal Convert, 2nd edition, Jacob Tonson, published 1714, page 46:
glosses: To suit; to fit, as a counterpart.
Derived terms: sense: Terms derived from pair (verb, etym. 1)
word: mispair
sense: Terms derived from pair (verb, etym. 1)
word: pairable
sense: Terms derived from pair (verb, etym. 1)
word: pairing
sense: Terms derived from pair (verb, etym. 1)
word: pair off
sense: Terms derived from pair (verb, etym. 1)
word: pair up
sense: Terms derived from pair (verb, etym. 1)
word: repair
Related terms: parity
couple