Couple vs Several

[LarryAndro]

I just lost an etymological fight with my wife over the word 'several.' To me it always meant 'more than one', and was a way to convey the idea of multiple.

To say 'several' to me also conveyed the idea that the number was not the really important feature. If I knew there were only two, I would say 'couple.' If there might have been two or more, but I really didn't know or didn't care how many, I would say 'several."

The wife said, no, several means more than two. I said no, it means two or more. From Wiktionary...

Consisting of a number more than two but not very many.

So, I was wrong. Now, I'm going to have to do a lot of kissing and making up!

 

[dklaiman]

Tell the truth. You probably would have had to do that even if you were right.

 

[LarryAndro]

Tell the truth. You probably would have had to do that even if you were right.

She'll never know. Maybe, I knew all along what 'several' meant...

 

[Seraphim]

You may even be reduced to the dreaded:

Yes Honey, You were right, and I was wrong...

 

[Obsessed]

Actually you're both right:

http://mw4.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/several

 

[The Knize]

Actually you're both right:

http://mw4.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/several

Wow, interesting find, O. The Oxford English Dictionary does not even seem to have more than one or more than two as separate definitions although it references the first as "legal," which the M-W definition arguably does. I would have thought "more than two" in common parlence, but now I am not so sure at all that it cannot be used to mean more than one!

I assume the etymology is to sever. No reason something cannot be severed into two pieces not three or to be two things apart rather than three.

 

[Gruder]

Just for kicks, I'd inject the word "few" into the argument.

(FWIW, I use several to mean more than two -- two is a couple, three to five or so is a few, anything more is several.)

 

[ouch]

I guess that means all of those times I said "I had a couple", I was lying.

 

[jstone624]

Here's how I see life...

2 is a couple
3 is a few
4 or more several

 

[The Knize]

Just for kicks, I'd inject the word "few" into the argument.

(FWIW, I use several to mean more than two -- two is a couple, three to five or so is a few, anything more is several.)

I am now afraid to express any opinion as to the precise definition of "few." I would have said that it was nearly synonymous with "several" and meant at least more than 2. Now I am not so sure. I do thing there is more lenience at the outside edge of "several" than "few" somehow. If someone said they were picking up "several" Big Macs and they came back with 6 that might seem an unexpected high number, but it would not be ridiculous. If they said a "few" Big Macs and came back with 6, that would like they did not do what they said they were going to do. Now if we went out for a "few" beers and ended up drinking 6 on the other hand, that seems completely within the bounds of the word "few"! It is a flexible word.

 

[LarryAndro]

All I know is that Obsessed is my Favorite Person of the Day for digging up...

2 a : more than one <several pleas>

Yes!!!

(I will point out to my wife that several can mean more than one. But, apologetically. With more kisses so she doesn't misinterpret.)

 

[Walter Sobchak]

Here's how I see life...

2 is a couple
3 is a few
4 or more several

Yep, what he said!

Although I will admit to using 'several' in place of 'few' on occasion, but never 'few' in place of 'several', and certainly never 'couple' in place of 'few' or 'several', or vice versa. I don't even know if what I said makes sense.

 

[LarryAndro]

Guy to guy, I asked for help. Other than Obsessed and another post or two, nothing... Or, worse!

I have asked the moderators to remove all responses to this message not agreeing with "several=two or more."

 

[The Knize]

Yep, what he said!

Although I will admit to using 'several' in place of 'few' on occasion, but never 'few' in place of 'several', and certainly never 'couple' in place of 'few' or 'several', or vice versa. I don't even know if what I said makes sense.

I am truly fascinated with words and language and can play at stuff like this for hours. "Few" is an interesting word. An old English-type word it seems unlike the many French-based words in English. And it you think about it, it has subtle shifts in meaning. I tend to think of "few" or more precisely "a few" as meaning "three." But if someone says "few are called," it does not mean that 3 are called. It means that a relatively small number are called as opposed to "many" being called. And if someone says, I will make a "few" calls, they are probably not saying they are going to make more than 2 but fewer than 4 calls. If one says "we had a 'few' friends over last night" does that mean exactly 3 friends? I would not think do. If someone said, "Make sure to give him a call every few hours to make sure he is okay," does that mean every three hours exactly? Closer maybe than the friends thing. "Every few years I seem to run into Jack . . . ." Sort of implies an average of every three years, but nothing precisely 3 years about it.

If something is "few and far between" there is nothing about 3 at all.

"I would like to say a few words about . . . ." Sure does not imply just three words or you would hear, sorry Buddy with that intro you are already past three words.

"He was a man of few words." Unless he was a very small child just learning to speak, if he was a many of only three words that would be remarkable!

 

[Stubblefield]

Guy to guy, I asked for help. Other than Obsessed and another post or two, nothing... Or, worse!

I have asked the moderators to remove all responses to this message not agreeing with "several=two or more."

Well, you did get several good answers. . . . .

 

[bigstick]

a couple is two, no more, no less
a few is 3 to 5
several is 6 to 9
it goes by tens, dozens and scores after that.

 

[rickboone1]

Here's how I see life...

2 is a couple
3 is a few
4 or more several

Exactly. Except 3's a crowd. My several has always started at 5. Several starts where you stop counting.

 

[LarryAndro]

The last few links reminded me of someone who worked with a bunch of rocket scientists, or some type of brainiacs. They developed a page long formula to determine the number of BMWs they needed. The answer...

One more than they had!!

I think this 'several' is one more than you say it is.

 

[eyeguy]

Here's how I've always looked at it

2 = couple
3-5 = a few
6 = half dozen
7-11 = several
12 = dozen

and so on

 

[kg4ghn]

Here's how I've always looked at it

2 = couple
3-5 = a few
6 = half dozen
7-11 = several
12 = dozen

and so on

This is my understanding and use of the word. I wouldn't use the word several for 2-3 of anything. Several to me means, "a lot."