unpaired

Everyday

1. Unpaired means not in a pair, without a partner or match: an unpaired sock. tree →
2. (science) In science, an unpaired thing has no partner where you would expect one, for example an unpaired electron or an unpaired organ like the heart. tree →

In the lessons

In maths and everyday sorting, when you put things into pairs, the one left over is unpaired; this shows a number is odd. In PE, an unpaired pupil has no partner. Phrases: unpaired socks, left unpaired.

Examples

• After the wash there was one unpaired sock. tree →
• With 25 children in pairs, one child is left unpaired. tree →
• An odd number always leaves one item unpaired. tree →
• The teacher partnered the unpaired pupil herself. tree →
• The heart is an unpaired organ, but we have two lungs. tree →
• Put the shoes in pairs and find the unpaired one. tree →

Note

«Un-» + «paired». In maths: if you pair up a number of things and one is unpaired, the number is odd (25 = 12 pairs + 1). If none are unpaired, the number is even.