company

== English == === Alternative forms === companie (obsolete) === Etymology === 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. === Pronunciation === (UK) (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈkʌmp(ə)ni/ (dialectal) IPA(key): /ˈkɒmp(ə)ni/ (US) IPA(key): /ˈkʌmpəni/ (South Asia) IPA(key): /ˈkəmp(ə)ni/, (dialectal) /ˈkɔmp(ə)ni/, (spelling pronunciation) /kəmˈpeni/ Rhymes: -ʌmpni, -ʌmpəni Hyphenation: com‧pany === Noun === company (countable and uncountable, plural companies) A team; a group of people who work together professionally. A group of individuals who work together for a common purpose. (military) A unit of approximately sixty to one hundred and twenty soldiers, typically consisting of two or three platoons and forming part of a battalion. A unit of firefighters and their equipment. (nautical) The entire crew of a ship. (espionage, informal) An intelligence service. (aviation, informal) A specific aircraft or its airline, usually used in air traffic communications to refer conveniently to another aircraft operated by the same airline. A small group of birds or animals. (law) An entity having legal personality, and thus able to own property and to sue and be sued in its own name; a corporation. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:enterprise (business) Any business, whether incorporated or not, that manufactures or sells products (also known as goods), or provides services as a commercial venture. (uncountable) One or more social visitor(s) or companion(s). One or more other person(s) who are nearby, are approaching, or are (e.g. covertly) watching, especially if they may have hostile intentions (like adversaries or rivals). (uncountable) Companionship. ==== Synonyms ==== (in legal context, a corporation): corporation (group of individuals with a common purpose): association, companionship, fellowship, organization, society (companionship): fellowship, friendship, mateship ==== Hyponyms ==== See also Thesaurus:enterprise. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== accompany companion discompany ==== Descendants ==== → Hindi: कंपनी (kampnī) → Hokkien: 公班衙 (kong-pan-gêe / kong-pan-gê) → Malay: kompeni → Scottish Gaelic: companaidh → Swahili: kampuni ==== Translations ==== === Verb === company (third-person singular simple present companies, present participle companying, simple past and past participle companied) (archaic, transitive) To accompany, keep company with. (archaic, intransitive) To associate. (obsolete, intransitive) To be a lively, cheerful companion. (obsolete, intransitive) To have sexual intercourse. ==== Synonyms ==== (to accompany): attend, escort, go with (to have sexual intercourse): fornicate, have sex, make love; see also Thesaurus:copulate == Catalan == === Etymology === Inherited from Late Latin compāniō, from Latin cum + pānis (“bread”). This form was inherited from the Latin nominative, while the variant companyó came from the accusative compāniōnem. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Northern, Central) [kumˈpaɲ] IPA(key): (Balearic, Valencia, Northwestern) [komˈpaɲ] Rhymes: -aɲ === Noun === company m (plural companys, feminine companya, feminine plural companyes) companion, colleague partner, mate buddy, friend ==== Derived terms ==== acompanyar ==== Related terms ==== companyia === References === === Further reading === “company”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007 == Middle English == === Noun === company alternative form of companye