Schoolfriend

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who was a friend during the years one attended school, often a companion from childhood or adolescence
2. Someone with whom you shared friendship while studying at the same school in your younger years
3. A companion made during one's time at school, typically remembered as a close friend from early life

Etymology: "Schoolfriend" is a plain compound of "school" and "friend," with no hidden twist in its making. "School" came into English from Old English "scol," which was itself borrowed from Latin "schola" and ultimately from Greek "scholē," meaning leisure or spare time. The Greek sense is the surprising part: a place of learning was named for the leisure in which learning happened. "Friend" comes from Old English "frēond," a word that goes back to the same root as "free" and "love," reflecting its sense of someone bound by affection. Put together, "schoolfriend" describes a companion made during the years of formal education, and it is a compound whose two halves have each travelled a long way before meeting here.

Synonyms: classmate, schoolmate, chum