companion
com·pan·ion/kəmˈpæn.jən/noun
companion is spelled C-O-M-P-A-N-I-O-N: 9 letters and 3 syllables (com·pan·ion). It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, companion means “A friend, acquaintance or partner; someone with whom one spends time or accompanies” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of companion is companions.
How many letters and syllables are in companion?
| Letters | 9: C-O-M-P-A-N-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: com·pan·ion |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,778th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is companion?
Companion appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce companion?
- /kəmˈpæn.jən/
Companion has 3 syllables, split com·pan·ion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-companion.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of companion
- companions plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- companioning participle, present
- companioned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does companion mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A friend, acquaintance or partner; someone with whom one spends time or accompanies
His dog has been his trusted companion for the last five years.
- 2
datedA person employed to accompany or travel with another.
- 3
The framework on the quarterdeck of a sailing ship through which daylight entered the cabins below.
- 4
The covering of a hatchway on an upper deck which leads to the companionway; the stairs themselves.
- 5
A knot in whose neighborhood another, specified knot meets every meridian disk.
- 6
A person, thing or phenomenon that is closely associated with another person, thing or phenomenon.
- 7
An appended source of media or information, designed to be used in conjunction with and to enhance the main material.
The companion guide gives an in-depth analysis of this particular translation.
- 8
A celestial object that is associated with another.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo be a companion to; to attend on; to accompany.
- 2
obsoleteTo qualify as a companion; to make equal.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Companion in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense someone with whom one spends time or keeps company:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | compagnon, compagne |
| German | Gefährte, Gefährtin |
| Portuguese | acompanhante, companheiro |
| Spanish | compañero, compañera, cousín, parcero, asere, acere |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does companion come from?
From Middle English companion, from Old French compaignon (“companion”) (modern French compagnon), from Late Latin compāniōn- (nominative singular compāniō, whence French copain), from com- + pānis (literally, with + bread), a word first attested in the Frankish Lex Salica as a calque of a Germanic word, probably Frankish *galaibo, *gahlaibō (“messmate”, literally “with-bread”), from Proto-Germanic *gahlaibô. Compare also Old High German galeipo (“messmate”) and Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌱𐌰 (gahlaiba, “messmate”); and, for the semantics, compare Old Armenian ընկեր (ənker, “friend”, literally “messmate”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).