English → Latin
“couple” in Latin
pāreven (of a number); equal; likeiuguma yoke (for oxen or cattle) or collar (for a horse); a yoke, pair, team of draft oxen; a pair of horses; a chariot; a jubīniTwo by twouterqueeach (of two), either, bothpaucīfew, small group of people; the oligarchsaliquotsome; several; a fewcōpulōto bind or tie together, unite, join, couple; to associate with; to connectscyphuscup, goblet; communion cupconiūnxspouse, married partner, i.e. husband or wifeiungōto join, unite, fasten, yoke, harness, attach; esp. of the hand: to clasp, join; of a treaty or agreement: to join, unit
The English word couple itself goes back to Latin cōpula.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
couple
par (in a strict sense, of two persons or things belonging together, Vid: PAIR): jugum (PROP., of draught-cattle; then, also, of two persons who are joined for any bad purpose, as Cic., Phil., 11, 2, extr., jugum impiorum nefarium): bini (two together, or at once; when two objects are viewed, that belong together, as binos [scyphos] habebam; jubeo promi utrosque, Cic. Verr., 4, 14, 32): utrique (the two that have been mentioned; Vid: the passage just quoted from Cic.): pauci: aliquot (in a looser sense=afew, some): a couple of pigeons, par columbarum: a nice couple (ironically), par nobile fratrum (Hor., Sat., 2, 3, 243): a married couple, conjuges: mariti: nova nupta et novus maritus (a young couple who are going to be married, or a young married-couple.): a couple of days, biduum: a couple of years, biennium (if positively two): a couple of eggs, bina ova.
Band, link, etc., copula (e.g., for dogs; copula dura canem tenet, Ov., also vincula, vincla; e.g., vincla canibus demere).
couple v.
TR., uno vinculo copulare (Vid: Liv., 28, 12, 14): connectere: jungere: conjungere: copulare cum aliqua, re: miscere aliqua re. [SYN. in To COMBINE]. INTR., jungi: conjungi: se jungere: se conjungere: coire.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for couple?
- The usual Latin words for “couple” are pār, iugum, bīni; also uterque, paucī, aliquot. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.