Company

The way we use "company" today refers to an organizational umbrella for pursuing a shared vision.  In casual conversation, people tend to interpret this as a for-profit business, rather than a non-profit or public organization.  

The real heart of a company, however, is the collective of people who stand behind it.  It is not defined by any particular industry or the presence of profit-motive.  For example, a company sometimes refers to a unit of soldiers.  There are also theater companies and ballet companies, and when people use "company" in this context, they are usually referring to the troupe of performers themselves, not the business operation.  

If we trace the word back to its origins, we see that it comes from compangnon, meaning "companion" in Old French.   This can be distilled down further to its Latin roots, "com" (with) and "panis" (bread).

"Com" is the prefix of many modern English words: complicity, camaraderie, combat, combination, etc., all with suffixes that give them their own specific meaning.  We like that "company" specifically means, "the people with whom you break bread".   

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