In Latin, camara or camera denoted a vaulted ceiling or roof. Later, the word simply mean “room, chamber” and was inherited by many European languages with that meaning. In the Spanish, the word became cámara, and a derivative of that was camarada “a group of soldiers quartered in a room” and hence “fellow soldier, companion.” That Spanish word was borrowed into French as camarade and then into Elizabethan English as both camerade and comerade.
He enjoys spending time with his old army comrades.
the boy, and two others who are known to be his comrades, are wanted for questioning by the police
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Haley Macintyre wasn’t the only comrade in total shock.—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 11 Oct. 2025 Unlike his comrades, his family life is more dysfunctional than deeply troubled.—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2025 Yeah, the time for prudent action, planning and working with comrades in different kinds of decision-making processes, developing new kinds of horizontal organizing.—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025 There were a lot of people, maybe more than five hundred, activists and relatives and friends and comrades.—Mariana Enriquez
october 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for comrade
Word History
Etymology
Middle French camarade group sleeping in one room, roommate, companion, from Old Spanish camarada, from cámara room, from Late Latin camera, camara — more at chamber
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