Etymograph

English

pair

Pair comes from Old French paire, from Latin paria ‘equals’, neuter plural of pār ‘equal’, of unclear origin.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpār‘equal; pair’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400paire
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘two people; a pair’
  4. Englishearliest quotation c. 1622pair

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpār‘equal; pair’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400paire
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘two people; a pair’
  4. Englishearliest quotation c. 1622pair

Earliest quotation: c. 1622, John Fletcher, The Sea-Voyage. A Comedy.: “Thou lieſt; I ha’ nothing buy my ſkin, /…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *perh₂- ‘to exchange, sell’

pornography, peerless, 6 more

through Latin par

compare, peer, par, disparity, parity, umpire, 5 more

Today it means

noun Two alike or identical things taken together; often followed by of.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin pār / pair

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