# coupling

Pronunciation: US say "KUP-ling" /ˈkʌplɪŋ/; UK

## Noun

1. A device that links two parts together so that force or movement passes between them.
   - Simple: A part that joins two things together so they work as one.
   - _The drive shaft connects to the gearbox through a flexible coupling._
   - _Engineers inspected each coupling for signs of wear._
2. The bringing together of two things or people to form a pair.
   - Simple: The act of joining two things together to make a pair.
   - _Before the yard was automated, the coupling of wagons was slow, dangerous work done by hand._
   - _The novel explores the coupling of memory and identity._
4. The degree to which one software module depends on another.
   - Simple: How much one part of a program depends on another part.
   - _Loose coupling lets developers update one service without breaking the others._
   - _The team reduced coupling by hiding each module's internal details._
5. An act of sexual intercourse between two partners.
   - Simple: An act of sex between two partners.
   - _The poem describes their coupling in veiled, lyrical language._
   - _Field biologists recorded the coupling of the pair during the breeding season._
6. A connection between two electronic circuits that allows a signal to pass from one to the other.
   - Simple: A link that lets a signal move between two electric circuits.
   - _Capacitive coupling carried the audio signal between the two stages of the amplifier._
   - _Poor coupling at the antenna weakened the received signal._
7. The property of two physical systems that they interact with and influence each other.
   - Simple: The way two physical systems affect each other.
   - _The coupling between light and matter underlies how lasers work._
   - _Weak coupling between the spins allowed each one to be measured separately._
8. A link between performing an action and the place where it happens or the method used to perform it.
   - Simple: A link between doing an action and where or how it is done.
   - _Habit research highlights the coupling between an action and the setting in which it is repeated._
   - _Therapists try to weaken the coupling between smoking and the daily routines that trigger it._

## Verb

3. Present participle and gerund of couple. — present participle and gerund of couple
   - Simple: Present participle of couple. Use this -ing form when the joining is happening right now.
   - _Coupling the carriages by hand was once a dangerous job._
   - _The engineers are coupling the new module to the existing system._

## Origin

From Middle English couplynge, equivalent to couple combined with the suffix -ing.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/coupling (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).