Bandmates

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Participants in a musical group who collaborate on various aspects of performance and creation
2. Individuals associated in a music group, engaging collectively in rehearsals, performances, and songwriting
3. People who play together in the same musical group

Etymology: "Bandmates" is the plural of "bandmate," a compound built from "band" and "mate." Each part has a long history of its own. "Band" traces back to Proto-Germanic "bandiz," meaning something that binds, and entered Middle English from Old English "bend," a strip or fastening that ties things together. The "band" of a musical group grew out of that binding sense, since a group is a bond among people. "Mate" has a more sociable pedigree. It came into English through Middle Low German "mate," a word for a companion or messmate, and it carried the sense of sharing food and quarters before it came to mean a companion in general. English later reused it as a suffix, which is what allowed "-mate" to attach to other nouns, such as "roommate" and "classmate." Put together, "bandmate" simply describes someone who shares the bond of a band, and the plural "bandmates" refers to all the members of one group.

Synonyms: band members, fellow musicians, co-musicians, band members, ensemble members