n. & v.
n. 1 (usu. foll. by of; often as sing.) a two (a couple of girls). b about two (a couple of hours). 2 (often as sing.) a a married or engaged pair. b a pair of partners in a dance, a game, etc. c a pair of rafters. 3 (pl. couple) a pair of hunting dogs (six couple of hounds). 4 (in pl.) a pair of joined collars used for holding hounds together. 5 Mech. a pair of equal and parallel forces acting in opposite directions, and tending to cause rotation about an axis perpendicular to the plane containing them.
v. 1 tr. fasten or link together; connect (esp. railway carriages). 2 tr. (often foll. by together, with) associate in thought or speech (papers coupled their names; couple our congratulations with our best wishes). 3 intr. copulate. 4 tr. Physics connect (oscillators) with a coupling.
[ ME f. OF cople, cuple, copler, cupler f. L copulare, L COPULA ]