Accompanied

How to spell accompanied

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce accompanied

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does accompanied mean?

1. verbWent somewhere together with someone, or occurred alongside something else.
2. verbPlayed a supporting musical part alongside a singer or lead instrument.

Accompanied in a sentence

• She accompanied her elderly father to every hospital appointment.

• The pianist accompanied the choir during the carol service.

• The contract was accompanied by a detailed list of conditions.

• A string quartet accompanied the soloist throughout the recital.

Where does accompanied come from?

Language of origin: French

This is the past tense of 'accompany', which English took from the Old French word 'acompaignier', meaning 'to associate with' or 'to keep company with'. That French verb was built on 'compaing', a companion, which traces back to the Late Latin 'companio', literally 'one who eats bread with you', formed from 'com' meaning 'with' and 'panis' meaning 'bread'. The same bread-sharing image survives in the everyday words 'company' and 'companion', and even in the Spanish loanword 'pan' for bread. The verb entered English in the late 1400s, first describing the act of going along with someone and later widening to music, where one part 'accompanies' a melody. The double 'c' and single 'p' trip up many adult writers: it helps to remember the 'com' (with) prefix sitting between them, so it is ac-com-panied, not 'acompanied' or 'accompannied'.

How the word is built

• ac- (to)
• com- (with)
• pan (from Latin panis, bread; one you share bread with)
• -ied (past tense)