companion1
/kəmˈpanjən
/noun
1A person or animal with whom one spends a lot of time or with whom one travels: his travelling companion figurative fear became my constant companion...
- This was also the opinion of many of my travelling companions, some of whom travel widely.
- Outside, sitting at a low table, were my travel companions.
- For the last hour or so I returned to the dance floor solo, where I had another chance to see how my various travelling companions were getting on.
Synonyms
associate, partner, escort, consort, colleague, workmate, co-worker, compatriot, confederate, ally;
friend, intimate, confidant, confidante, comrade;
French confrère
informal buddy, pal, chum, crony, cully, spar, sidekick
British informal mate, oppo, china, mucker
Northern English informal marrow, marrer, marra
North American informal amigo, compadre, paisan
North American & South African informal homeboy, homegirl
South African informal gabba
Australian/New Zealand informal offsider
archaic compeer
rare consociate
1.1A person who shares the experiences of another, especially when these are unpleasant or unwelcome: my companions in misfortune...
- It was the work of Florence Nightingale and her companions in the Crimea that did more than anything else to establish female nursing as a respectable career.
- After having been told the names of their companions in this adventure, each filmmaker had to agree to work without any knowledge of what the others were doing.
- He was the man who started that long four-man break, and on the final climb he was the man who soloed away and left his struggling breakaway companions in the dust.
1.2A person’s long-term sexual partner outside marriage: Steve and his live-in companion...
- Our partners are our companions, our soulmates, our loves.
- Who we wind up with, the husbands and wives and boyfriends and girlfriends and partners and longtime companions are the real heroes of the story.
- Friendship is not the most important thing in their lives, but they will stay true to a long-term companion.
1.3A person, usually a woman, employed to live with and assist another: she brought along her companion, whose drab attire set off her employer’s brilliance...
- Mears's sister had recently died, and Mears needed companions to live with.
- Bowing to criticism from various sections and ending her solitude, the zoo authorities have brought a companion for her.
- When Darwin set sail on the Beagle in 1831, he was taken along primarily as a companion for the captain, Robert Fitzroy, who feared growing lonely and melancholy.
Synonyms
attendant, aide, helper, assistant, personal assistant, valet, equerry, squire, lady in waiting;
chaperone, duenna, protector, protectress;
carer, minder
informal sidekick
1.4 Astronomy A star, galaxy, or other celestial object that is close to or associated with another: the small, hot, and compact companion of Sirius was discovered in 1915 [as modifier]: a small companion galaxy...
- It was suggested that the red supergiant orbited a companion star that had shredded its outer layers just before the explosion.
- The theory postulates that every 26 to 30 million years, life on Earth is severely jeopardized by the arrival of a small companion star to the sun.
- These details support the theory that the two stars are close enough for accretion to take place and that the companion star is being cannibalised.
2Each of a pair of things intended to complement or match each other: [as modifier]: a companion volume...
- It is very well suited as a companion to a complete general textbook, especially the Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease because of the page references.
- This volume is a companion to a soon-to-be-aired Public Broadcasting System film of the same name.
- It is safe to assume that the stories were written over much the same time period as the novel; they are now published as a companion to the paperback version of The Fortress Of Solitude.
Synonyms
complement, counterpart, fellow, mate, twin, other half, match;
accompaniment, supplement, addition, adjunct, appendage, accessory, auxiliary
2.1 [usually in names] A book that provides information about a particular subject: the Oxford Companion to English Literature...
- A book like the Cambridge companion to Beethoven, whose positive qualities will guarantee it a place on the reference shelf, deserves better.
- For that reason alone, it is probably wise to take along a Thai companion, just to help with ordering, though I am sure it would be possible to stumble through without.
- Doubleday's Readers Companions are available for Whitfield's novels, Beeperless Remote and Something's Wrong With Your Scale and a companion guide will accompany his next release, Guys In Suits.
Synonyms
handbook, manual, guide, reference book, instruction book, ABC, primer;
Latin vade mecum
informal bible
rare enchiridion
2.2British dated A piece of equipment containing several objects used in a particular activity: a traveller’s companion
3 (Companion) A member of the lowest grade of certain orders of knighthood: a Companion of the Order of Canada...
- ‘Our national task is to ensure that we act in a manner that reaffirms our deepest respect and support for Fifa, the esteemed Member of the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo,’ he wrote.
- He was knighted in 1996 and made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1998.
- He was also given the Order of the Boabab, which South Africans receive for distinguished service in a number of fields, as well as the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo - reserved for foreigners.
verb [with object] formal
Accompany: he is companioned by a pageboy...
- All the Star Wars movies will be put online eventually (Lucas has confirmed that one), nicely companioning the DVD versions just in case some people daren't leave the message board for too long.
- At last, as if wearied even of the monotonous motion that had companioned her so long, she was perfectly quiet - her face still turned towards the door.
- They had companioned her for a while together, boy and ghost, flanking her like sworn knights.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French compaignon, literally 'one who breaks bread with another', based on Latin com- 'together with' + panis 'bread'.
A companion is literally ‘a person who you eat bread with’. The word comes from Old French compaignon, from Latin com- ‘together with’ and panis ‘bread’. Other English words that derive from panis include pannier (Middle English), pastille (mid 17th century) a ‘little loaf’ of something, and pantry (Middle English). Company (Middle English) and accompany (Late Middle English) come from the same root.
Rhymes
companion2
/kəmˈpanjən/noun
1A covering over the hatchway leading to a ship’s companionway.
1.1 archaic A raised frame with windows on the quarterdeck of a ship to allow light into the decks below.The room was illumined from the light in the companion, and the dim lantern hung from the deck beam....
- The three made their way in the dim light to the companion.
1.2 short for companionway.He made his way down the companion to the gundeck, Pamela in his arms....
- More feet scampered up the companion as his crew belowdecks realized something was happening.
Origin
Mid 18th century: from obsolete Dutch kompanje (earlier form of kampanje) 'quarterdeck', from Old French compagne, from Italian (camera della) compagna '(storeroom for) provisions'.