pairing vs buddy system

pairing and buddy system both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
pairing	Yes	No	No	No
buddy system	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, buddy system is a hyponym of pairing; that is, buddy system is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than pairing:

pairing: the act of grouping things or people in pairs
buddy system: a cooperative practice of pairing two or more people together for mutual assistance or safety (especially in recreational swimming)

Other hyponyms of pairing include match-up, matchup.

pairing (noun)	buddy system (noun)
the act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes	a cooperative practice of pairing two or more people together for mutual assistance or safety (especially in recreational swimming)
the act of grouping things or people in pairs