Guildmates

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Members who belong to the same organized group or association, often within a professional, craft, or gaming context, sharing common interests and activities
2. Individuals united by membership in the identical club, society, or cooperative, particularly in artisanal, occupational, or multiplayer virtual environments
3. Participants affiliated with a collective or union focused on mutual support, skills development, or collaboration, typically in trade, hobby, or online gaming settings

Etymology: "Guildmates" is simply the plural of "guildmate", a compound formed from "guild" and "mate". The first part comes from Old English "gild", a payment or contribution, and the second is the familiar "mate", a companion or fellow. Put together, a guildmate is a fellow member of the same guild. The suffix "-mate" is the productive element here. English has long used it to name people who share a particular group, situation, or role, as in "classmate", "roommate" and "shipmate". Attaching it to "guild" follows that pattern exactly, so the word needed no special invention to describe members of a trade association or, much later, a gaming community.

Synonyms: guild members, companions, colleagues, associates