Word of the Day

: September 19, 2006

camaraderie

noun kahm-RAH-duh-ree

What It Means

: a spirit of friendly good-fellowship

camaraderie in Context

The sense of camaraderie among colleagues in the sales department is the main reason Julie enjoys coming to work each day.

Did You Know?

"Camaraderie" comes from "camarade," the French word whose Middle French ancestor was also the source for our word "comrade." "Camaraderie" made its first appearance in English in the middle of the 19th century. In Middle French, "camarade" was used to mean "roommate," "companion," or "a group sleeping in one room." It derived by way of Old Spanish from the Late Latin "camera," meaning "chamber." We also have the word "comradery," which means the same thing as "camaraderie" but did not take the same etymological route as its synonym. That word, formed by attaching the "-ry" suffix (as found in "wizardry" and "citizenry") to "comrade," didn't appear in English until almost 40 years after "camaraderie."