Company: A Business, a Group of Guests, and People Who Share Bread
A company is a business organisation, a body of soldiers, or simply the people you are with. The root meaning is people who eat bread together.
Company names both a legal entity and the plain fact of not being alone. The root explains why: Latin *cum panis*, with bread — a company was originally people who shared a meal, and the business sense is the metaphor, not the other way round.
- A business organisation. *She founded the company in 2011.*
- People you are with. *I enjoy his company.*
- Guests. *We have company this evening.*
- A military unit. *A company of infantry.*
- A troupe of performers. *A touring theatre company.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | company | A private company. |
| Plural | companies | Several companies bid. |
| Person | companion | A travelling companion. |
| Adjective | companionable | A companionable silence. |
| Abbreviation | Co. | Smith & Co. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The company has forty employees.Singular verb in American English; British writers may use plural.
- Thank you for your company this evening.Uncountable — the pleasure of being with someone.
- Two is company, three is a crowd.A proverb about unwanted third parties.
Company in phrases
- Keep someone company — stay with them so they are not alone
- Part company — separate, or disagree
- In good company — not alone in a mistake or an opinion
- Present company excepted — the criticism does not apply to those here
- Company man — someone loyal to the employer above all
From Old French *compaignie*, from Late Latin *companio*, one who eats bread with another — *com* plus *panis*. The same idea gives Spanish *compadre* and the English word companion.
Is company singular or plural?
Grammatically singular. British English allows a plural verb when the members are meant: *the company are rehearsing*.
Company or firm?
Firm is often used for partnerships, especially in law and accountancy. Company is the general term and the legal one for an incorporated body.