When we are told "companions", it immediately brings up thoughts of uncles in good suits who conduct common affairs. That is, people who are in the same company. Today we will explain the noun and find out whether his affairs are so bad.
Just a little bit of origin and meaning
It’s not that we are against business and successful people (by the way, this is tracing paper from English). But lately, much, if not all, has been reduced to business and to who earns how much and how much. Such an approach does not give rise to any more feelings, except boredom. And the prevalence of finance over all others is starting to become boring. Therefore, we want to understand whether the meaning of the word “companion” has at least some other meaning. As the reader guessed, to solve the problem, you need to open an explanatory dictionary:
- A person who is doing something with someone enters the company (in the first sense).
- Member of the company (in the second meaning).
As we see, we can’t do without deciphering what a company is. But first, let's say a few words about the origin of the “companion”. The characteristic spelling speaks of French roots. And this conjecture is true. True, it is not clear when the borrowing occurred: the dictionary does not indicate the exact date. And the meanings then and now coincide: a companion is "doing business with someone."
Company value
Let's first turn to the explanatory dictionary again, and then think about what unites at first glance two such different meanings of the word "company":
- Society, a group of people spending time together.
- Commercial or industrial enterprise, commercial and industrial association of entrepreneurs.
What do the two meanings have in common? Probably, ideally, both companies should be managed exclusively by common interests. From some point of view, this is probably what happens, but when it comes to a company of friends or like-minded people in which a person spends time, the main engine is the person’s internal desire to spend time with these people. When it comes to the company as a business project, economic reasons come into play, and desires go into the shadows. Simply put, a person needs money, but he doesn’t choose the work collective - you have to adapt in the course of the play.
What is also common between the meanings of the noun “company” is that they have one and the same ideal - a collection of like-minded people. Which owner of the company would refuse that only fans of his business work for him? At the same time, no company of friends would refuse to include people who are good, cute, moral, or, conversely, bad, vile, and immoral. The main thing is that the company be united, so that its "ships sail in the same direction."
And both meanings, of course, are united by the word “companion”. Both there and there is a member of the group.
Synonyms
The reader, probably, has already forgotten that we are not analyzing a “company”, but a “companion”. Therefore, it is time to return to our main topic and see which nouns have synonyms :
- partner;
- companion;
- colleague.
- friend;
- friend;
- satellite.
There are other, of course, synonyms, especially if you show some ingenuity, but dwell on the selected options. As we see, the word is positively colored, like all its synonyms. Further we pass to the most interesting.
Between a man and a dog (or cat)
Remember, at the very beginning we said that a companion is not only a person, but also a dog or a cat. True, in the usual sense, a person cannot be brought as a pet: centuries of slavery have long passed. But you can find a friend or girlfriend and spend time with them. Despite the fact that the XIX century is long behind, many majestic matrons give themselves confidants, so that it is not boring.
The reader probably thinks: "Well, comrades, closer to the point!". Okay, he’s right, as always. The question is who to choose a dog or person as a companion. Our answer: of course, a dog, cat or fish - in a word, an animal. Because even from the best friend, if he is with you all the time, you can get tired, but this is not observed with pets.
By the way, in America, where political correctness is gaining new momentum (although this is pretty old information), it is now customary to talk about pets only as companions, and rightly so. It is believed that another treatment degrades bestiality. What do you call your pets? Is your appeal to a furry family member ruining his self-esteem? Think about it at your leisure, as well as how diverse the meaning of the word "companion" is.