Pairedness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or condition of being arranged in pairs or couples; the state of existing or functioning as two connected parts; a characteristic of elements that occur or are grouped in twos
2. A state describing things that naturally come in twos or are matched in sets of two; the attribute of objects or concepts being coupled or paired; a condition where components are linked in pairs for balance or symmetry
3. The property of having components or entities combined in pairs; the circumstance of items being joined or aligned in twos; a descriptive term for paired organization or dual arrangement

Etymology: "Pairedness" is about as plain as English word-building gets: the adjective "paired" with the suffix "-ness", which turns an adjective into a noun for the quality or state it describes. "Paired" itself comes from "pair," borrowed from Old French "paire," which traces back to Latin "paria," meaning equal things or a matching set. So "pairedness" simply names the condition of things being set up as matched couples. The word is useful mainly in technical settings, where it names a property that has to be stated precisely, such as the arrangement of items in a comparison, experiment or data set. Its real value is that it lets a writer talk about the state of being paired without the vaguer phrasing "the fact of being in pairs."

Synonyms: duality, coupling

Antonyms: singleness, solitude