companion means A friend, acquaintance, or partner; someone with whom one spends time or accompanies.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, companion ranks #7,283 of 14,340 for Most Vivid Words.
companion is pronounced /kəmˈpæn.jən/.
Why “companion” is a great word
A person who accompanies or shares experiences with another, originally one with whom one shares bread. From Middle English companion, from Old French compaignon, from Late Latin compāniōnem (nominative compāniō), from com- ("with") + pānis ("bread"), literally "one who eats bread with another," a calque of a Germanic word, probably Frankish *gahlaibō ("messmate"). Unlike "acquaintance," which implies familiarity without intimacy, or "colleague," which binds through profession rather than presence, companion insists on the sacred economy of shared sustenance. It is the crust broken between strangers who become kin, the quiet presence beside you on a long walk, and the hand that passes you a plate without asking—the word carrying within it the oldest truth: that we are not meant to eat alone.
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.
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.”
- A person employed to accompany or travel with another.
- The framework on the quarterdeck of a sailing ship through which daylight entered the cabins below.
- The covering of a hatchway on an upper deck which leads to the companionway; the stairs themselves.
- A knot in whose neighborhood another, specified knot meets every meridian disk.
- A thing or phenomenon that is closely associated with another thing, phenomenon, or person.
- 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.”
- A celestial object that is associated with another.
- A knight of the lowest rank in certain orders.“a companion of the Bath”
- A fellow; a rogue.“[L]et vs knog our praines together to be reuenge on this ſame ſcall ſcuruy-cogging-companion the Hoſt of the Garter.”
verb
- To be a companion to; to attend on; to accompany.“we had better turn south quickly and compare the elements of education which formed , and of creation which companioned , Salvator .”
- To qualify as a companion; to make equal.“Finde me to marrie me with Octauius Cæſar, and companion me with my Miſtris.”
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