Link Centre Dictionary

companion

com·pa·nion

UK/kəmˈpæn.jən/ US/kʌˈmpænjʌn/ fairly common
noun (3) verb (1)

noun

1.

a person who is frequently in the company of another

  • “drinking companions”
  • “comrades in arms”
Synonyms
2.

a traveler who accompanies you

Synonyms
3.

one paid to accompany or assist or live with another

verb

1.

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • animal companion
  • boon companion
  • companion animal
  • companion cell
  • companion hatch
  • companion ladder
  • companion piece
  • companion set

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.