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
Recent Examples on the WebWhitt Moreland, who sacrificed himself while warning his comrades to avoid an exploding grenade.—Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 May 2024 Disgraced former President Zuma, a lifelong ANC member bitter at his ousting, shocked his comrades by throwing his support behind this new opposition party in December.—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 24 May 2024 Chapter veterans from five branches of services will honor several hundred comrades from Southern California who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2024 Ettinger and his comrades organized a plan that included timetables and steps to be taken at each stage.—Mark Mazzetti Jonathan Davis Anna Diamond David Mason, New York Times, 16 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for comrade
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'comrade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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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