Etymologically
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partnership

Etymology and origin of the English word partnership

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1576
Ultimate origin
English (partner,-ship)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English partner
English partnership

Pronunciation

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

Etymology

It is formed from English partner + -ship.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The state of being a partner, association or companionship: 1576 in the OED and MWU, the 1570s in Etymonline.[4][5][2]

Semantic evolution

The commercial sense, an association of two or more persons carrying on a business and sharing its profits and losses, is from 1616 in the Historical Thesaurus and about 1700 in Etymonline and the OED,[6][2][4] and the persons forming it from 1802–12.[4] In arithmetic, the rule for working out each partner's share was called partnership from 1704 to 1859.[6][4] In cricket a partnership is a period when two batsmen are in together, from 1868.[6]

Timeline

  • 1576 – being a partner.[4]
  • 1616 – a business association.[6]
  • 1704 – a rule in arithmetic.[4]
  • 1868 – in cricket.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The state of being partners; a relationship in which people or groups work together.
  2. (law) A business owned by two or more people who share its profits and losses.
  3. (cricket) A period during which two batsmen are batting together.

Word family

  • prepartnership
  • limited partnership
  • general partnership

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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
Cite this entry

“Partnership.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/partnership. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·