partner

 
Pronunciation: /ˈpɑːtnə/

noun

  • a person who takes part in an undertaking with another or others, especially in a business or firm with shared risks and profits: a partner in a prosperous legal practice a junior partner
  • either of two people dancing together or playing a game or sport on the same side: arrange the children in pairs so that each person has a partner the striker looked sharp and eager as Jackson’s partner in attack
  • either member of a married couple or of an established unmarried couple: she lived with her partner
  • a person with whom one has sex; a lover: make sure that you or your partner are using an effective method of contraception
  • US dated or dialect a friendly form of address by one man to another: how you doing, partner?

verb

[with object]
  • be the partner of: young farmers who partnered Isabel to the village dance
  • [no object] North American associate as partners: I never expected to partner with a man like you

Derivatives

partnerless

adjective

Origin:

Middle English: alteration of parcener 'partner, joint heir', from Anglo-Norman French parcener, based on Latin partitio(n-) 'partition'. The change in the first syllable was due to association with part