Paired

How to spell paired

6 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce paired

What does paired mean?

1. verbJoined or matched together into a set of two, or with a suitable partner.
2. adjectiveExisting or arranged as a matching set of two.

Paired in a sentence

• verb

  The rich red wine was paired with aged cheddar at the tasting.

• adjective

  The dataset uses a paired comparison to measure each patient before and after treatment.

• verb

  Each new recruit was paired with an experienced mentor for the first month.

• adjective

  The dancers performed a paired routine, mirroring every step.

Where does paired come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the past form of the verb 'pair', which goes back to the Latin word par, meaning 'equal' or 'a match'. The neuter plural paria gave Old French paire, a set of two equal or matching things, and English borrowed that noun in the 1200s, soon turning it into a verb meaning 'to arrange in twos' or 'to match'. The simple addition of the regular -ed ending produced 'paired'. The same par root still surfaces in everyday words like 'compare', 'parity' and the golf term 'par', all carrying the idea of equalness or balance. The spelling trap is purely aural: 'paired' sounds identical to 'pared' (trimmed, from Latin parare 'to prepare'), so the writer must keep the 'pair' of matching things in mind to hold on to the 'i'.

How the word is built

• pair (two matching things)
• -ed (past tense / past participle suffix)