companion

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle English companion, from Old French compaignon (“companion”) (modern French compagnon), from Late Latin compāniōn- (nominative singular compāniō, whence French copain), from com- +‎ pānis (literally, with + bread), a word first attested in the Frankish Lex Salica as a translation of a Germanic word, probably Frankish *galaibo, *gahlaibo (“messmate”, literally “with-bread”), from *hlaib (“loaf, bread”). Compare also Old High German galeipo (“messmate”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌱𐌰 (gahlaiba, “messmate”), Old Armenian ընկեր (ənker, “friend”, literally “messmate”). More at co-, loaf.

Pronunciation

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Noun

companion (plural companions)

1. A friend, acquaintance, or partner; someone with whom one spends time or keeps company

   His dog has been his trusted companion for the last five years.

   • Shakespeare

     Here are your sons again; and I must lose / Two of the sweetest companions in the world.

2. (dated) A person employed to accompany or travel with another.
3. (nautical) The framework on the quarterdeck of a sailing ship through which daylight entered the cabins below.
4. (nautical) The covering of a hatchway on an upper deck which leads to the companionway; the stairs themselves.
5. (topology) A knot in whose neighborhood another, specified knot meets every meridian disk.
6. (figuratively) A thing or phenomenon that is closely associated with another thing, phenomenon, or person.
7. (astronomy) A celestial object that is associated with another.
8. A knight of the lowest rank in certain orders.

   a companion of the Bath

9. (obsolete, derogatory) A fellow.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:friend

Derived terms

• companionable, uncompanionable
• companion hatch
• companion ladder
• companionship
• companionway

Related terms

• accompany, accompanying
• company

Translations

someone with whom one spends time or keeps company

• Arabic: رفیق m (rafīq), زمیل m (zamīl)
• Bashkir: иптәш (iptäš)
• Bulgarian: придружител (bg) m (pridružitel), компаньон (bg) m (kompanjon)
• Catalan: acompanyant m
• Chamicuro: lota'c̈homa
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 伴侶, 伴侣 (zh) (bànlǚ), 同伴 (zh) (tóngbàn)

• Czech: společník m
• Dutch: metgezel (nl) m
• Esperanto: kunulo
• Finnish: toveri, seuralainen (fi), kumppani (fi)
• French: compagnon (fr) m, compagne (fr) f
• Galician: compañeiro (gl)
• German: Gefährte (de) m, Gefährtin f, Kompagnon m
• Greek: συνοδός (el) m (synodós)
• Hungarian: társ (hu)
• Icelandic: félagi (is) m, kumpáni m
• Irish: caidreamhach

• Istriot: cunpagno m
• Italian: amico (it) m, compagno (it) m
• Japanese: 仲間 (なかま, nakama), 友人 (ja) (ゆうじん, yūjin)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: ئاواڵ, هاورێ

• Latin: socius m
• Maori: takahoa
• Novial: kompane
• Old English: ġesīþ, ġefēra
• Persian: دوست (fa) (dust), مونس (fa) (munis), همدم (fa) (hamdam)
• Polish: towarzysz (pl) m, towarzyszka f, kompan (pl) m
• Portuguese: acompanhante (pt) m, f, companheiro (pt) m
• Romanian: tovarăș (ro) m
• Russian: товарищ (ru) m (továrišč), компаньон (ru) m (kompanʹón), компаньонка (ru) f (kompanʹónka), спутник (ru) m (spútnik), спутница (ru) f (spútnica)
• Slovene: tovariš (1), spremljevalec (2)
• Spanish: compañero (es) m, compañera (es) f

Verb

companion (third-person singular simple present companions, present participle companioning, simple past and past participle companioned)

1. (obsolete) To be a companion to; to attend on; to accompany.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Ruskin to this entry?)

2. (obsolete) To qualify as a companion; to make equal.
   • (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare

     Companion me with my mistress.