coupling

Etymology

From Middle English couplynge; equivalent to couple + -ing.

noun

1. Act of joining together to form a couple.
   It is the first British yard in which every activity of hump marshalling, except for the driving of the hump locomotive and the uncoupling and coupling of wagons, is fully automatic or drastically simplified by modern aids. 1960 June, “Talking of trains: The new Margam yard”, in Trains Illustrated, page 323
2. A device that couples two things together.
3. (software engineering) The degree of reliance between two or more software modules.
   Coordinate term: cohesion
   The lack of coupling means that the elements of our system are better isolated from each other and from change. This isolation makes it easier to understand each element of the system. 2009, Robert C. Martin, chapter 10, in Clean Code, Prentice Hall, page 150
4. (electronics) A connection between two electronic circuits such that a signal can pass between them.
5. (physics) The property of physical systems that they are interacting with each other
6. (sexuality) Sexual intercourse.
   The biggest film of March 1992 was “Basic Instinct,” an erotic thriller featuring an established movie star in explicit onscreen couplings with a sexy up-and-comer. 2022-03-20, Jason Bailey, “‘Basic Instinct’ at 30: A Time Capsule That Can Still Offend”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

verb

1. present participle and gerund of couple