pairing

[ pair-ing ]

noun

1. a coupling.
2. Cell Biology. the lining up of the two homologous chromosomes or chromatids of each chromosome pair in meiosis or mitosis. Compare base-pairing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pairing¹

First recorded in 1605–15; pair + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

We used to be on our knees and under the gun about wine and food pairings.

From Washington Post

Brown’s emergence means they now boast two offensive studs and — given how young, versatile and committed to defense both players are, and that both are signed for multiple seasons — one of the league’s premier pairings.

From FiveThirtyEight

To-go cocktail and wine pairings are also offered, an option that did not exist in previous years.

From Washington Blade

Like past Galaxy Buds models, there’s no physical button on the case for pairing.

From TechCrunch

Then there’s the question of how portable you want the speakers to be, their pairing capabilities, and whether you want a smart speaker.

From Popular-Science

But everything about the Hughes-Eldridge pairing militated against such a portrayal.

From The Daily Beast

But as perfect a pairing as Trophy Wife was with Modern Family, black-ish is, too.

From The Daily Beast

The Family Guy pairing is only the first Simpsons crossover episode this season.

From The Daily Beast

And so it is with admiration and understanding that we are still violently furious over the pairing of Joey and Rachel.

From The Daily Beast

What's new, then, is the pairing of unhappy truths with sweet kisses and saccharine confessions.

From The Daily Beast

Many adults, it is said, hardly have a rudiment of this feeling, pairing the most fiercely antagonistic tints.

From Project Gutenberg

There were hundreds of snow petrels pairing off, but no eggs were seen in any of the nest-crevices.

From Project Gutenberg

The village children often saw the pairing otters, for the animals, hard pressed, had perforce to fish by day instead of by night.

From Project Gutenberg

Pairing takes place soon after the breeding aggregations are formed.

From Project Gutenberg

In reciprocal pairing, he found that the male was able to transmit the characters of the parents in a higher degree.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• intercourse