n.

1. The act of linking together or forming couples.
2. The act of uniting sexually.
3. A device that links or connects.
4. Electronics. Transfer of energy from one circuit to another.
5. The body part of a four-footed animal that connects the hindquarters to the forequarters.

The mechanical fastening that connects shafts together for power transmission, often to form long sections of shafting or to connect the shaft of a machine to an external drive. Couplings are classified with respect to the kind of alignment and the centerline position of the connecting shafts. Rigid couplings are used where the axes of the shafts are directly in line, flexible couplings where the axes may be at a slight angle and slightly displaced, and universal joint couplings for large angularity or large displacement.

A rigid coupling is suitable for shafts in close alignment or held in alignment without inducing destructive forces in shafts or bearings. For commercial shafting, the coupling may be a sleeve with the shafts pressed into each end, or it may be a clamping sleeve. The sleeve on each shaft end may have an external flange with bolt holes. Couplings for large power machines are bolted together to hold the shafts rigidly; hence the shafts must be accurately aligned before assembly.

Flexible coupling provides the mechanical connection for shafts at a slight angle and displaced somewhat, particularly where power machines may set up vibratory forces. Such couplings are used when alignment is difficult to obtain, when a nonrigid support makes alignment impossible to maintain, or if shaft position changes because of operation. Flexible couplings consist of symmetrical hubs on each end of the joined shafts with a flexible connecting member between. This member may take such forms as the floating gear, the embedded spring, the flexible pin, and the flexible disk. Flexible couplings not only provide for lateral and angular misalignment, but also reduce the transmission of shock loads and change the vibration characteristics and critical speeds of the shafts. Oldham's coupling is the original flexible coupling, and presents the basic principle from which most flexible couplings are derived.

A flexible coupling for connecting shafts that have appreciable permanent angularity is termed a universal joint. See also Clutch; Fluid coupling; Shafting; Universal joint.

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noun

A point or position at which two or more things are joined: connection, joint, junction, juncture, seam, union. See connect.

A short internally threaded section of pipe, used to join two pipes or conduits.

coupling

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1. in an animal's conformation, the distance between the top of the scapulae to the hip joints.
2. in ultrasonography, the transmission of sounds from the transducer into the tissues being examined. A medium such as a gel or mineral oil is used to exclude air from between the two surfaces.

To electronically connect two circuits so that signal will pass from one to the other.

IN BRIEF: Bringing or coming together. Also: something that connects two things.

The trailer detached from the truck when the coupling broke.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - kobling, sammensætning af numre, forbindelsesled i maskineri, svingningskredsforbindelse, sammensat nummer

Nederlands (Dutch)
koppelmechanisme/ -stuk (b.v. trein), paring, koppeling

Français (French)
n. - (gén) accouplement, (Rail) attelage, (Élec) couplage

Deutsch (German)
n. - Verbindung, Kupplung, Paarung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σύζευξη, σύμπλεξη (κν. κομπλάρισμα), συναρτήρας (κν. κοτσαδόρος), συμπλεκτήρας, σύζευξη συστημάτων Η/Υ, σύνδεση

Italiano (Italian)
accoppiamento

Português (Portuguese)
n. - junção (f), acoplamento (m), engate (m)

Русский (Russian)
муфта, сцепление

Español (Spanish)
n. - acoplamiento, enganche, conexión

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - hopkoppling, kopplingsanordning

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
联结, 交尾, 结合

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 聯結, 交尾, 結合

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 연결, 회로의 결합, 공역

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 連結, 結合, 連結器, 継ぎ手

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) أداة ربط عجلتين, ارتباط, تزاوج‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מתקן לחיבור קרונות, בריח (לחבור כלי-רכב), חלק-חיבור בין חלקים במכונה, סדר קטעי המוסיקה על תקליט, קטע על תקליט‬

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snap coupling set