English
coupling
Coupling comes from Old French coupler, from Latin cōpulō ‘to bind or tie together, unite, join, couple’, and ultimately from apiō.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEapiō‘to join’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōpula‘a tie, binding’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōpulō‘to bind or tie together, unite, join, couple’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400coupler
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500couplen‘to marry or wed’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500couplynge
- Englishearliest quotation 1960coupling
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEapiō‘to join’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōpula‘a tie, binding’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōpulō‘to bind or tie together, unite, join, couple’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400coupler
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500couplen‘to marry or wed’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500couplynge
- Englishearliest quotation 1960coupling
Earliest quotation: 1960, Talking of trains: The new Margam yard: “It is the first British yard in which every…”
Formed from couple + -ing
Latin apiō ‘to join’
Latin cōpula ‘a bond’
Old French couple ‘couple’
Middle English couple ‘a couple’
English couple
Linked words
through Latin apiō ‘to join’
adaptation, adapt, adept, 16 more
through Latin cōpula ‘a tie, binding’
through Latin cōpulō ‘to bind or tie together, unite, join, couple’
Today it means
noun The act of joining together to form a couple.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin apiō / coupling