COUPLE

I. noun see: apt Date: 13th century 1. two persons married, engaged, or otherwise romantically paired, two persons paired together, pair , brace , something that joins or links two things together: as, two equal and opposite forces that act along parallel lines, a pair of substances that in contact with an electrolyte participate in a transfer of electrons which causes an electric current to flow, an indefinite small number ; few , ~dom noun II. verb (~d; coupling) Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. to connect for consideration together, to join for combined effect, 2. to fasten together ; link , to bring (two electric circuits) into such close proximity as to permit mutual influence, to join in marriage or sexual union, intransitive verb to unite in sexual union, join , to unite chemically, III. adjective Date: 1924 two , Usage: The adjective use of a ~, without of, has been called nonstandard, but it is not. In both British and American English it is standard before a word (as more or less) indicating degree . Its use before an ordinary plural noun is an Americanism, common in speech and in writing that is not meant to be formal or elevated . It is most frequently used with periods of time and numbers .