COUPLING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does coupling mean? 

• COUPLING (noun)
  The noun COUPLING has 3 senses:

1. a connection (like a clamp or vise) between two things so they move together

2. a mechanical device that serves to connect the ends of adjacent objects

3. the act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes

  Familiarity information: COUPLING used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COUPLING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A connection (like a clamp or vise) between two things so they move together

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

coupling; yoke

Hypernyms ("coupling" is a kind of...):

connecter; connection; connective; connector; connexion (an instrumentality that connects)

Derivation:

couple (bring two objects, ideas, or people together)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A mechanical device that serves to connect the ends of adjacent objects

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

coupler; coupling

Hypernyms ("coupling" is a kind of...):

mechanical device (mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "coupling"):

clevis (a coupler shaped like the letter U with holes through each end so a bolt or pin can pass through the holes to complete the coupling; used to attach a drawbar to a plow or wagon or trailer etc.)

clutch (a coupling that connects or disconnects driving and driven parts of a driving mechanism)

fluid drive (an automotive power coupling)

swivel (a coupling (as in a chain) that has one end that turns on a headed pin)

turnbuckle (an oblong metal coupling with a swivel at one end and an internal thread at the other into which a threaded rod can be screwed in order to form a unit that can be adjusted for length or tension)

universal; universal joint (coupling that connects two rotating shafts allowing freedom of movement in all directions)

Derivation:

couple (link together)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

conjugation; coupling; mating; pairing; sexual union; union

Context example:

the mating of some species occurs only in the spring

Hypernyms ("coupling" is a kind of...):

sex; sex activity; sexual activity; sexual practice (activities associated with sexual intercourse)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "coupling"):

assortative mating (mating of individuals having more traits in common than likely in random mating)

disassortative mating (mating of individuals having traits more dissimilar than likely in random mating)

cross; crossbreeding; crossing; hybridisation; hybridization; hybridizing; interbreeding ((genetics) the act of mixing different species or varieties of animals or plants and thus to produce hybrids)

inbreeding (the act of mating closely related individuals)

service; servicing (the act of mating by male animals)

Derivation:

couple (engage in sexual intercourse)

 Context examples 

Gap junctional communication is essential for many physiological events, including embryonic development, electrical coupling, metabolic transport, apoptosis, and tissue homeostasis.

(Gap Junction Assembly Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

Syk kinase, widely expressed in hematopoietic cells, is a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase that is involved in coupling activated immunoreceptors to signal downstream events that mediate diverse cellular responses, including proliferation, differentiation, and phagocytosis.

(Fostamatinib, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes disks large homolog 1 protein, is involved in both organization of the actin cytoskeleton and coupling of this structure to the cell membrane.

(DLG1 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

In controlled laboratory experiments, the enzymes that perform this task make only one mistake in every 50,000 couplings.

(Genes Can be Read in Different Ways, NIH, US)

In addition to the classical Gq/11, coupling of Gs is occasionally observed in a cell-specific fashion.

(Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

Many of these are the gene products of protooncogenes (e.g. erbB, neu, fms) whose coupling is via a tyrosine kinase domain on the cytoplasmic end of the receptor molecule.

(Growth Factor Receptor, NIH CRISP Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes MAGUK p55 subfamily member 3 protein, is involved in coupling the cytoskeleton to the cell membrane and plays a putative role in signal transduction.

(MPP3 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes MAGUK p55 subfamily member 2 protein, plays a role in coupling the cytoskeleton to the cell membrane and is putatively involved in signal transduction.

(MPP2 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes 55 kDa erythrocyte membrane protein, is involved in coupling the cytoskeleton to the erythrocyte cell membrane and plays a putative role in signal transduction.

(MPP1 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

In addition, this agent acts as a coupling reagent for phosphoramidate or pyrophosphate inter-nucleotide bonds in DNA duplexes.

(Cyanogen Bromide, NCI Thesaurus)