Partnering

How to spell partnering

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce partnering

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does partnering mean?

1. verbJoining or pairing with another person or organisation to work together toward a shared aim.
2. nounThe practice of forming collaborative working relationships between people or organisations.

Partnering in a sentence

• verb

  She is partnering with a local accountant to manage the new accounts.

• noun

  The council praised the close partnering between the hospital and the university.

• verb

  The charity is partnering with several schools to deliver the reading programme.

• noun

  Effective partnering depends on clear goals and shared funding.

Where does partnering come from?

Language of origin: French

The base word partner comes through Middle English from the Old French parçonier, meaning a 'sharer' or 'joint owner', which traces back to the Latin partitio, 'a sharing out' or 'division', from pars, partem, meaning 'a part'. Early English speakers reshaped the unfamiliar French ending and let the spelling drift toward the familiar word 'part', which is why partner is written with a clear 'part' at its front. The verb sense, to pair up or work jointly with someone, developed later as the noun came to be used for an associate in business, marriage, or dance. Adding the regular -ing ending produces partnering, used both for the ongoing action and as a noun for the practice of forming such alliances. The visible 'part' inside the word is a handy reminder that a partner is someone who takes part with you.

How the word is built

• partner (one who shares)
• -ing (present participle / gerund)