termipari

Termipari is a concept in terminology management and lexicography that refers to a paired set of terms linked by a defined semantic relation. The word is Finnish in origin, combining ter mi (term) and pari (pair). A termipari typically connects two term records through a relationship such as translation equivalence or synonymy, and it can be used to align terminologies across languages or to group related terms within a single language.

Definition and scope: A termipari consists of two terms that share a specified relation. Common uses include bilingual translation pairs (source term and target term) and monolingual synonym or near-synonym pairs. Termipari data supports consistent indexing, retrieval, and translation workflows in terminological repositories and glossary projects.

Data model and implementation: In terminology databases, a termipari is represented as a linked pair of term records. Each record includes fields such as term text, language, and status, while the relation_type field captures whether the pair denotes translation, synonymy, or another semantic link. Termipari relationships are often exported or exchanged according to terminology standards, enabling interoperability between systems.

Examples: Finnish–English pairs such as tietokone — computer (computer is the English equivalent of tietokone), and ohjelmisto — software. Such examples illustrate how termipari structures support multilingual glossaries and cross-language information retrieval.

See also: Glossary, Terminology management, Lexicography, TBX, and related standards. Standards that address term relationships and data exchange in terminology work include ISO 704 and ISO 16642.