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Added 2 October 2026

pair

/pɛə/ noun

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In Latin: par Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pair at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. Two alike or identical things taken together; often followed by of.
    I couldn't decide which of the pair of designer shirts I preferred, so I bought the pair.
  2. One of the constituent items that make up a pair.
  3. Two people in a relationship, partnership or friendship.
    Spouses should make a great pair.

verb

  1. To group into one or more sets of two.
    The wedding guests were paired boy/girl and groom's party/bride's party.
  2. to link two electronic devices wirelessly together, especially through a protocol such as Bluetooth.
    It was not possible to pair my smartphone with an incompatible smartwatch.
  3. To bring two (animals, notably dogs) together for mating.

verb

  1. To impair, to make worse.
  2. To become worse, to deteriorate.

Origin

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”)

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Related Words: twosomedyadduadtwaincoupletdistichcoupledoubletoncopulateduoduet

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