Unpairing

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. Separating two things that were previously joined together or matched as a pair, such as removing one half of a couple or set
2. Taking apart a set or combination so that the items that formed it are no longer linked or matched together
3. Breaking up a pair or joined couple so that each member stands apart from the other, leaving them no longer combined

Etymology: "Unpairing" is simply the present participle and gerund of "unpair," which is built from the prefix "un-" and the verb "pair." "Pair" goes back to the Latin "par," meaning equal, and entered English through Old French "paire," so the verb already carried the idea of two matched things joined together. Adding "un-," which reverses or undoes an action, produces the sense of taking such a match apart. The construction follows a familiar English pattern: "un-" attached to verbs to mean undoing, as in "unfasten," "unlock," and "unwrap." Here the thing being undone is a pairing, so "unpairing" describes the act of separating items that were matched.

Synonyms: separating, uncoupling, unmatching, dividing

Antonyms: pairing, matching, coupling