Colleagues

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɑliɡz/

Definitions

1. People engaged in the same profession supporting one another in their roles
2. Professionals collaborating within an organization to achieve common objectives
3. Individuals who share the same workplace or professional field and collaborate on tasks or projects

Etymology: "Colleagues" is the plural of "colleague," and the surprise is in the Latin behind it: "collega" meant a partner in public office, with the sense of being sent out together. Its parts are "com-," meaning "with," and "legare," meaning "to send on an embassy" or as a deputy, and that verb grows from "lex," law. So the original idea is two people commissioned together to carry out an official duty, not a workmate in an office or a friend at the water cooler. The word passed into English through Middle French "collegue," which kept the sense of a fellow holder of an office or dignity. Over time the meaning widened from official partnership to any associate in a shared pursuit, and eventually to anyone you work alongside, so a modern colleague is a distant descendant of a Roman envoy.

Synonyms: coworkers, associates, peers, partners, teammates