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partner

Etymology and origin of the English word partner

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1300
Borrowed from
Anglo-Norman parcener via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Latin (partītiō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈpɑːt.nə/, US /ˈpɑːrt.nɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English partiner,[2][3] an alteration, under the influence of part, of earlier parcener,[2][3][4] borrowed from Anglo-Norman parcener (“partner, joint heir”),[5][6] Old French parçonier,[2][3] from parçon (“portion, share”),[2][3] from Latin partītiō (“a sharing, division”),[2][3] from partīre (“to part, divide”),[2] from pars (“part, share”).[2] Etymonline notes that it may also represent Old French part tenour, “part holder”.[2] The verb is from the noun.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A sharer, one who has a part with another: about 1300.[2][3] The OED's first example is from 1297.[7]

Semantic evolution

One who shares power or authority with another is from the late 14th century,[2] and the commercial sense, a member of a business firm, from 1523,[7] the 1520s in Etymonline.[2] A companion in a dance is from 1613,[7] and a player on the same side in a game from 1680.[7] A spouse is a partner from 1749 in the OED[7] and the early 17th century in Word Origins,[5] and towards the end of the 20th century the word came to be used commonly for either member of an unmarried couple.[5] Partner in crime is from the early 19th century.[5] Partnership is from 1576.[3] The verb, “to make a partner”, is from 1611,[7] and “to join as partners” from 1961.[2][7]

Timeline

  • 1297 – a sharer.[7]
  • late 14th century – a sharer of power.[2]
  • 1523 – a business partner.[7]
  • 1576 – partnership.[3]
  • 1611 – verb, to make a partner.[7]
  • 1613 – a dancing partner.[7]
  • 1680 – a partner in a game.[7]
  • 1749 – a spouse.[7]
  • 1961 – verb, to join as partners.[2][7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person associated with another in an activity or shared interest.
  2. A member of a business partnership.
  3. A spouse, or a person one lives with in a sexual relationship.
  4. Either of two people dancing together, or one of a pair or team in a game.
  5. A country or organization working with another: trading partner.

Verb

  1. To be the partner of; to bring together as partners.

Word family

  • partnerless
  • copartner
  • nonpartner
  • partnership
  • domestic partner
  • life partner
  • silent partner
  • sleeping partner

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Partner.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/partner. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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