Where does “couple” come from?

couple (Old French) comes from Vulgar Latin copla, from Latin cōpula, from Latin coapula, from Latin apio, from Latin apium, from Latin Apis, from Ancient Greek Ἄπις, from Coptic ϩⲁⲡⲉ — the god Apis.

couple (Old French): couple; sexual liaison

Definitions

  1. couple; sexual liaison

Ancestry of “couple”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vulgar Latincopla
2Latincōpulaa bond, tie, band or other connecting item
3Latincoapula
4Latinapiodative singular of apium; ablative singular of...
5Latinapiumparsley; celery; genitive plural of apis
6LatinApisA seaport town of Egypt situated at the borders with Marmarica
7Ancient GreekἌπις
8Copticϩⲁⲡⲉthe Apis bull, a bull worshipped as a herald of the gods (first Ptah, then Osiris, then Atum)
9Egyptianḥpthe god Apis

Words derived from “couple

Every word from Egyptian ḥpEvery word from Coptic ϩⲁⲡⲉEvery word from Ancient Greek Ἄπις