English

company

/ˈkʌmp(ə)ni/
A team; a group of people who work together for a common purpose.

    Etymology graph

    • inherited
    • borrowed
    • derived
    • parts
    • meaning component
    • sound component
    • related
    React Flow

    Click a node to zoom in · double-click to open it

    Origin

    From Middle English companye (“a team; companionship”), from Old French compaignie (“companionship”) (Modern French: compagnie), possibly from Late Latin *compania, but this word is not attested. Old French compaignie is equivalent to Old French compaignon (Modern French: compagnon) + -ie. More at companion.

    Displaced native Old English werod, gefer, getæl, and hired.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • rootProto-Indo-European*peh₂- “to protect; to shepherd”
    • inheritedMiddle Englishcompanye “a team; companionship”
      • derivedOld Frenchcompaignie “companionship”

    Related: Old French compaignon

    Sources