companion
/kəmˈpæn.jən/ noun, verb
Forms companions companioning companioned
- noun A friend, acquaintance or partner; someone with whom one spends time or accompanies “His dog has been his trusted companion for the last five years.”
- noun (dated) A person employed to accompany or travel with another.
- noun (nautical) The framework on the quarterdeck of a sailing ship through which daylight entered the cabins below.
- noun (nautical) The covering of a hatchway on an upper deck which leads to the companionway; the stairs themselves.
- noun (topology) A knot in whose neighborhood another, specified knot meets every meridian disk.
- noun (figuratively) A person, thing or phenomenon that is closely associated with another person, thing or phenomenon.
- noun (attributive) An appended source of media or information, designed to be used in conjunction with and to enhance the main material. “The companion guide gives an in-depth analysis of this particular translation.”
- noun (astronomy) A celestial object that is associated with another.
- verb (obsolete) To be a companion to; to attend on; to accompany.
- verb (obsolete) To qualify as a companion; to make equal.
Synonyms
comrade fellow familiar associate fellow traveler fellow traveller company accompany keep company
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 calque of a Germanic word, probably Frankish *galaibo, *gahlaibō (“messmate”, literally “with-bread”), from Proto-Germanic *gahlaibô. Compare also Old High German galeipo (“messmate”) and Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌱𐌰 (gahlaiba, “messmate”); and, for the semantics, compare Old Armenian ընկեր (ənker, “friend”, literally “messmate”). More at co-, loaf. Displaced native Old English ġefēra (literally “fellow traveler”). Compare company and mate.
Webster’s 1913
- noun One who accompanies or is in company with another for a longer or shorter period, either from choice or casually; one who is much in the company of, or is associated with, another or others; an associate; a comrade; a consort; a partner.
- noun A knight of the lowest rank in certain orders; as, a companion of the Bath.
- verb To be a companion to; to attend on; to accompany. [R.] Ruskin.
- verb To qualify as a companion; to make equal. [Obs.]
Etymology [F. compagnon, OF. compaing, fr. as assumed LL. companio (cf. companium fellowship, a mess), fr. L. com- + panis bread. See Pantry.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “companion”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details