Decouple
/diːˈkʌpəl/noun
To disconnect or separate two things that were linked or joined.
Did you know?The word is built from the same Latin root as 'couple,' which comes from *copula* meaning a bond or tie — so 'decouple' is, at its core, the undoing of a connection.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
copula
“a bond, tie, or link”
Old French
Old French
cople
“a pair, couple, or link”
Middle English
English
couplen
“to join or pair together”
20th Century
English
decouple
“to separate or disengage two linked things”
Modern English
English
decouple
“to disconnect or make independent”