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Pair vs Par - What's the difference?

pair | par |

As nouns the difference between pair and par

is that pair is two similar or identical things taken together; often followed by of while par is pair, couple.

As a verb pair

is to group into sets of two or pair can be (obsolete) to impair.

pair

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) paire, from (etyl) .

Noun

(en-noun)
  • Two similar or identical things taken together; often followed by of.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-14, author=(Jonathan Freedland)
    • , volume=189, issue=1, page=18, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Obama's once hip brand is now tainted , passage=Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet. Perhaps we assume that our name, address and search preferences will be viewed by some unseen pair of corporate eyes, probably not human, and don't mind that much.}}
  • Two people in a relationship, partnership (especially sexual) or friendship.
  • Used with binary nouns (often in the plural to indicate multiple instances, since such nouns are plurale tantum)
  • A couple of working animals attached to work together, as by a yoke.
  • (cards) A poker hand that contains of two cards of identical rank, which cannot also count as a better hand.
  • (cricket) A score of zero runs (a duck) in both innings of a two-innings match
  • (baseball, informal) A double play, two outs recorded in one play
  • (baseball, informal) A doubleheader, two games played on the same day between the same teams
  • (slang) A pair of breasts
  • (Australia, politics) The exclusion of one member of a parliamentary party from a vote, if a member of the other party is absent for important personal reasons.
  • Two members of opposite parties or opinion, as in a parliamentary body, who mutually agree not to vote on a given question, or on issues of a party nature during a specified time.
    • There were two pairs on the final vote.
  • (archaic) A number of things resembling one another, or belonging together; a set.
  • * Charles Dickens
    • plunging myself into poverty and shabbiness and love in one room up three pair of stairs
  • * Beaumont and Fletcher
    • Two crowns in my pocket, two pair of cards.
  • (kinematics) In a mechanism, two elements, or bodies, which are so applied to each other as to mutually constrain relative motion; named in accordance with the motion it permits, as in turning pair'', ''sliding pair'', ''twisting pair .
    • Synonyms
    * two objects in a group: duo, dyad, couple, brace, twosome, duplet * (pair of breasts) See also
    Derived terms
    * on a pair * grow a pair * in pairs * king pair * pair-horse * pair-oar(ed) * pair production * pair skating * royal pair * strap on a pair

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To group into sets of two.
  • * Alexander Pope
    • Glossy jet is paired with shining white.
    The wedding guests were paired boy/girl and groom's party/bride's party.
  • To bring two (animals, notably dogs) together for mating.
  • (politics, slang) To engage (oneself) with another of opposite opinions not to vote on a particular question or class of questions.
  • To suit; to fit, as a counterpart.
  • * Rowe
    • My heart was made to fit and pair with thine.
    (Webster 1913)
  • (computing) to form wireless connection between to devices
  • *{{quote-web
    • , date = yyyy-mm-dd , author =Microsoft , title = How-to: Keyboards , site = http://www.microsoft.com , url = http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/help/support/how-to/keyboard/bluetooth , accessdate = 2015-02-21 }}
    If your computer has a built-in, non-Microsoft transceiver, you can pair the device directly to the computer by using your computer’s Bluetooth software configuration program but without using the Microsoft Bluetooth transceiver.
    Derived terms
    * pairing * pair off * pair up
    Related terms
    * parity

    Etymology 2

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To impair.
    • (Spenser)

    Anagrams

    * 1000 English basic words ----

    par

    English

    Etymology 1

    Abbreviation.

    Abbreviation

    (Abbreviation) (head)
  • paragraph
  • parallel
  • parenthesis
  • parish

    • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) .

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • By; with.
    • Usage notes
    * Used frequently in Middle English in phrases taken from French, being sometimes written as a part of the word which it governs; as, par amour, or paramour; par cas, or parcase; par fay, or parfay.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Equal value; equality of nominal and actual value; the value expressed on the face or in the words of a certificate of value, as a bond or other commercial paper.
  • Equality of condition or circumstances.
  • (golf, mostly uncountable) The allotted number of strokes to reach the hole.
    • He needs to make this shot for par .
  • (golf, countable) A hole in which a player achieves par
  • * {{quote-news, 2009, January 18, , Paul Casey storms to four-stroke lead in Abu Dhabi, Herald Sun citation
    • , passage=Kaymer started with six straight pars before making a birdie on the seventh and an eagle on the eighth. }}
    Derived terms
    * below par * on par, on a par * par for the course * under par * up to par

    Verb

    (parr)
  • (golf) To reach the hole in the allotted number of strokes.
    • He will need to par every hole in order to win this game.

    Etymology 3

    Compare (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Young salmon. (also spelled parr)

    • Anagrams

    * ----