Dictionary / companion
companion
- noun
- verb
- from Old French
A friend, acquaintance or partner; someone with whom one spends time or accompanies
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “companion” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
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.
- 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.
- figurativelyA person, thing or phenomenon that is closely associated with another person, thing or phenomenon.
- attributiveAn 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
Older & obsolete senses (2)
- datedA person employed to accompany or travel with another.
- derogatoryobsoleteA fellow; a rogue.
verb
No current senses for this part of speech — see older senses.
Older & obsolete senses (2)
- obsoleteTo be a companion to; to attend on; to accompany.
- obsoleteTo qualify as a companion; to make equal.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (4)
- nouna friend who is frequently in the company of another — also: comrade, fellow, familiar, associate
- nouna traveler who accompanies you — also: fellow traveler, fellow traveller
- nounone paid to accompany or assist or live with another
- verbbe a companion to somebody — also: company, accompany, keep company
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)companion
- Middle Englishcompanion
- Old Frenchcompaignon “companion”
- Old Frenchcom- + pānis + bread)
- Proto-Germanic*gahlaibô
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.
Derivatives — words built from “companion”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “companion” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “companion” came from before it was English.
The source marks part of this history as uncertain (it uses words like “perhaps” or “possibly”). Read the full etymology above before treating any single origin as certain.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
companion n. [F. compagnon, OF. compaing, fr. an assumed LL. companio (cf. companium fellowship, a mess), fr. L. com- + panis bread. See Pantry.]
- 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.
- A knight of the lowest rank in certain orders; as, a companion of the Bath.
- A fellow; -- in contempt.
- A skylight on an upper deck with frames and sashes of various shapes, to admit light to a cabin or lower deck.
companion v. t.
- To be a companion to; to attend on; to accompany.
- To qualify as a companion; to make equal.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
nounMeaning: 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.
The krogan have had a love-hate relationship with varren for millennia, alternately fighting them for territory and embracing them as treasured companions.2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Varren Codex entry:
nounMeaning: 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.
nounMeaning: A knight of the lowest rank in certain orders.
a companion of the Bath
nounMeaning: a friend who is frequently in the company of another
drinking companions
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
companion
/kəmˈpæn.jən/ · com·pan·ion
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
companion
/kəmˈpæn.jən/ · com·pan·ion · noun, verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “companion” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“His dog has been his trusted companion for the last five years.”
Circle the meaning used.
“The companion guide gives an in-depth analysis of this particular translation.”
Circle the meaning used.
“a companion of the Bath”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “companion” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
The earliest traceable form is Old French compaignon. What did it mean?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — companion
Which meaning, sentence 1: A. A friend, acquaintance or partner; someone with whom one spends time or accompanies
Which meaning, sentence 2: A. An appended source of media or information, designed to be used in conjunction with and to enhance the main material.
Which meaning, sentence 3: C. A knight of the lowest rank in certain orders.
Origin: D. Old French (Old French compaignon)
Journey: English companion ← Middle English companion ← Old French compaignon ← Old French com- + pānis + bread) ← Proto-Germanic *gahlaibô
Some derivatives: companimal, companionable, uncompanionable, companionate, companioness, companionhood, companionize, companionless
Original meaning: Old French compaignon — “companion”
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.
Sources: Wiktionary “companion” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/companion#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/companion