Etymologically
Log in

companionship

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the English word companionship

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1548 N. Udall et al., translation of Erasmus's Paraphrase of the New Testament
Ultimate origin
Late Latin compāniō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin panis
French pain
Italian pane
Latin companio
French compagnon
Italian compagno
English companion
English companionship
From the same root
Italian panino ← pane
Italian accompagnare ← compagno
Italian compagnia ← compagno

Pronunciation

  • /kəmˈpænjənʃɪp/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English companion + -ship.[2][3][4][5] The OED compares the earlier companyship,[2] and notes that the sense of a journeyman's years of service follows compagnonnage (1719).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The fact or state of being companions; association, fellowship: 1548, in the translation of Erasmus's Paraphrase of the New Testament by Nicholas Udall and others.[2] Etymonline dates the word to the 1540s[3] and Dictionary.com to 1540–50.[4]

Semantic evolution

From the state of being companions the word came to mean, from 1603, the state of having companions, the company of others, and later especially of friends.[2] Johnson (1755) gave two senses: company or train, quoting Shakespeare's Timon of Athens ("All of companionship"), and fellowship or association.[6] It could also mean a single friendship or association (before 1632), and later a group of companions (1842).[2] Specialised uses followed: the rank of Companion in an order of knighthood (1672), the period spent as a journeyman, especially in French contexts (1776, in Adam Smith), and in printing a group of compositors working together under a foreman they chose themselves (1808).[2] The last two are now historical.[2][5]

Timeline

  • 1548 – the state of being companions; association, fellowship.[2][7]
  • 1603 – the state of having companions; the company of others.[2]
  • before 1632 – a friendship or association between companions.[2]
  • 1672 – the rank of Companion in an order of knighthood.[2]
  • 1776 – the state or term of a journeyman, especially in France.[2]
  • 1808 – in printing, a group of compositors working together.[2]
  • 1842 – a group of companions.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The relationship or feeling that exists between companions; fellowship: the companionship of old friends.[7][2][5]
  2. The state of having company, or the presence of others: After her husband died she kept a dog for companionship.[2][5]
  3. A group of companions or associated people.[2][7]
  4. The rank of Companion in an order of knighthood.[2]
  5. (historical) The state or term of a journeyman.[2][5]
  6. (printing, historical) A group of compositors working together under a foreman of their own choosing.[2][5]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e f Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Companionship.” Etymologically, 1 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/companionship. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·