couple vs yoke

couple

noun
  • That which joins or links two things together; a bond or tie; a coupler. 

  • A small number. 

  • A couple-close. 

  • Two partners in a romantic or sexual relationship. 

  • One of the pairs of plates of two metals which compose a voltaic battery, called a voltaic couple or galvanic couple. 

  • Two of the same kind connected or considered together. 

  • A turning effect created by forces that sum to zero in magnitude but produce a non-zero external torque. 

verb
  • To cause (two animals) to copulate, to bring (two animals) together for mating. 

  • To join in sexual intercourse; to copulate. 

  • To join (two things) together, or (one thing) to (another). 

det
  • Two or a few, a small number of. 

adj
  • Two or (a) small number of. 

yoke

noun
  • From sense 1.1: a bond of love, especially marriage; also, a bond of friendship or partnership; an obligation or task borne by two or more people. 

  • Well-developed muscles of the neck and shoulders. 

  • A Y-shaped stand used to support a blowpipe or punty while reheating in the glory hole. 

  • From sense 1.3.1: something which oppresses or restrains a person; a burden. 

  • A miscellaneous object; a gadget. 

  • A pill of a psychoactive drug. 

  • A collar placed on the neck of a conquered person or prisoner to restrain movement. 

  • A pole carried on the neck and shoulders of a person, used for carrying a pair of buckets, etc., one at each end of the pole; a carrying pole. 

  • A chap, a fellow. 

  • A similar device used as a game controller. 

  • Any of various devices with crosspieces used to control an aircraft; specifically, the control column. 

  • Originally, a metal piece connecting the poles of a magnet or electromagnet; later, a part of magnetic circuit (such as in a generator or motor) not surrounded by windings (“wires wound around the cores of electrical transformers”). 

  • The electromagnetic coil that deflects the electron beam in a cathode ray tube. 

  • A pair of draught animals, especially oxen, yoked together to pull something. 

  • An amount of work done with draught animals, lasting about half a day; (by extension) an amount or shift of any work. 

  • A frame placed on the neck of an animal such as a cow, pig, or goose to prevent passage through a fence or other barrier. 

  • A fitting placed across the head of the rudder with a line attached at each end by which a boat may be steered; in modern use it is primarily found in sailing canoes and kayaks. 

  • A bar or frame by which two oxen or other draught animals are joined at their necks enabling them to pull a cart, plough, etc.; (by extension) a device attached to a single draught animal for the same purpose. 

  • The part of an item of clothing which fits around the shoulders or the hips from which the rest of the garment hangs, and which is often distinguished by having a double thickness of material, or decorative flourishes. 

  • A frame or convex crosspiece from which a bell is hung. 

  • Any of various linking or supporting objects that resembles a yoke (sense 1.1); a crosspiece, a curved bar, etc. 

  • Chiefly in pass under the yoke: a raised yoke (sense 1.1), or a symbolic yoke formed from two spears installed upright in the ground with another spear connecting their tops, under which a defeated army was made to march as a sign of subjugation. 

  • A carriage, a horse and cart; (by extension, generally) a car or other vehicle. 

verb
  • To join (several draught animals) together with a yoke; also, to fasten a yoke (on one or more draught animals) to pull a cart, plough, etc.; or to attach (a cart, plough, etc.) to a draught animal. 

  • To put (one's arm or arms) around someone's neck, waist, etc.; also, to surround (someone's neck, waist, etc.) with one's arms. 

  • To put (something) around someone's neck like a yoke; also, to surround (someone's neck) with something. 

  • To place a collar on the neck of (a conquered person or prisoner) to restrain movement. 

  • To place a frame on the neck of (an animal such as a cow, pig, or goose) to prevent passage through a fence or other barrier. 

  • To bring (two or more people or things) into a close relationship (often one that is undesired); to connect, to link, to unite. 

  • To be or become connected, linked, or united in a relationship; to have dealings with. 

How often have the words couple and yoke occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )