Word
companion
Phoneticscom·pan·ion
US/kəmˈpænjən/
UK/kəmpˈæniən/
Definitions
01a friend or partner
n. a person or animal that you spend time with or travel with.
n. a person or animal with whom one spends a significant amount of time or travels. Often implies a relationship based on mutual company rather than just shared tasks.
“The old man and his dog were constant companions on his morning walks.”
“Finding a reliable travelling companion can be difficult, as long journeys often test even the strongest of friendships.”
02a matching object
n. one of a pair of things that are meant to be used together.
n. one of a pair of things intended to be used together or to complement each other.
“This book is a companion to the television series and explains the history of the show.”
“The volume was designed as a companion to his earlier work on Renaissance architecture, providing the necessary technical diagrams to support his theories.”
Formal
Synonyms
03astronomy
n. a star or planet that travels through space with another one.
n. a celestial object, such as a star or planet, that is gravitationally bound to or associated with another.
“The bright star has a small companion that is hard to see without a telescope.”
“Observations of the primary star's wobble suggested the presence of a low-mass companion orbiting at a significant distance.”
Technical
Synonyms
04nautical
n. the stairs or the cover for the stairs on a ship.
n. the covering or framework over a hatchway on a ship's deck, or the ladder leading below.
“The sailor hurried down the companion to reach the cabin before the storm hit.”
“Water began to seep through the companion as the waves crashed over the quarterdeck, forcing the crew to secure the hatches.”
Technical
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“He told the conference: "We discovered what we think is a black hole merging with a massive companion star, shredding it into a disk that feeds the black hole.” “The film’s AI companions are invariably sycophantic, too.” “One explanation is that a large galaxy absorbed a smaller companion.” “Astronomers have been looking for a companion star since its existence was first predicted nearly a century ago.” 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/companion