Partnership

How to spell partnership

11 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce partnership

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does partnership mean?

1. nounA cooperative relationship in which people or organisations work together toward a shared goal.
2. nounA business jointly owned by two or more people who share its profits and liabilities.

Partnership in a sentence

• The two charities formed a lasting partnership to fund the shelter.

• The accountants registered their firm as a partnership rather than a company.

• Their working partnership survived years of tight deadlines.

• Each member of the partnership is liable for its debts.

Where does partnership come from?

Language of origin: French

The word grows from 'partner', which entered Middle English in the 1200s and 1300s as 'parcener', borrowed from the Old French 'parçonier' meaning 'one who shares', ultimately from the Latin 'partitio', a 'sharing out' or 'division', built on 'pars' meaning 'a part'. The spelling shifted toward 'partner' under the influence of 'part', the very root idea of sharing a portion of something. To this noun English added '-ship', a native Old English suffix (from '-scipe') that turns a noun into an abstract state or condition, the same ending seen in 'friendship' and 'ownership'. So a partnership is literally the condition of being partners, of sharing in a venture. The smooth fit between 'partner' and the 'part' it contains is a useful memory hook, since the trickiest spot is simply remembering the 'n' before 'ship'.

How the word is built

• partner (one who shares)
• -ship (state or condition)