Coupledoms

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A state or condition characterized by being in a romantic partnership with one or more individuals
2. a sociocultural recognition of relationships involving pairs or groups
3. the dynamics and experiences associated with multiple couples interacting or being involved together

Etymology: "Coupledoms" is simply the plural of "coupledom," a noun built from "couple" and the suffix "-dom." The suffix comes from Old English "dōm," meaning judgment, condition or state, and it survives in older words such as "kingdom" and "freedom," where it marks a realm or state of being. Adding it to "couple" gives the sense of the condition of being a couple. The plural form is unusual because it treats each separate partnership as its own condition, so one might speak of several coupledoms in a city or across a novel's cast. The word follows the same pattern as "martyrdom" or "stardom," where a common noun is given a state-of-being meaning.

Synonyms: relationships, partnerships, couples, alliances, duos