pairwiseadv.adj.
/ˈpɛːwʌɪz/, U.S. /ˈpɛrˌwaɪz/ A. adv.
In or by pairs; with regard to pairing; so as to form a pair.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > two > pair > [adverb]
two and twoc1000
by two and twoc1575
matchlike1582
two by two1709–10
pairwise1831
binately1870
1831 T. Carlyle Niebelungenlied in Crit. & Misc. Ess. (1872) III. 122 Such as continued refractory he tied together by the beards, and hung pair-wise over poles.
1889 N. Amer. Rev. July 122 The perils of the sea will yet be diminished by means of companion steamers—passenger packets starting pair-wise and keeping close enough for mutual assistance in case of accident.
1925 New Phytologist 24 217 Each filament shows throughout its length a stylar canal and three bundle groups, one group lying between the canal and the outer convex surface, the other two being distributed pairwise on the two sides.
1969 Word 1967 23 302 The characters can be anything at all as long as they are pairwise distinguishable.
1986 Oxf. Econ. Papers 38 ii. 259 A dyad is not a two-person society, but a society where individuals interact pairwise.
B. adj.
Of, involving, or forming a pair or pairs.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > two > pair > [adjective]
double1393
coupledc1440
conjugate1471
duplicate?a1475
jumellec1475
gemel1497
geminate1589
paired1595
fellowed1654
duplicatory1659
gemellous1697
dyadic1728
duplex1817
Siamese twins1829
parial1849
dyad1869
duadic1879
pairwise1913
duplicitous1985
1913 Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 40 556 There takes place..a pairwise conjugation of the chromosomes, which finds its culmination in synapsis.
1960 H. M. Hoenigswald Lang. Change xiii. 144 Pair-wise reconstructions from three related languages may probe the question of degrees of relationship within the language family.
1993 R. J. Waller Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend vi. 74 Michael looked over at the booth... It was occupied now by two couples engaged in a pairwise beer-chugging contest.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adv.adj.1831