English

edit

Etymology

edit

From Middle French collegue, from Latin collēga (a partner in office), from com- (with) + lēgō (to send on an embassy), from lēx (law).

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit
 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

colleague (plural colleagues)

  1. A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate, a workmate.
    • 2013 June 29, “A punch in the gut”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, pages 72–3:
      Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. [] Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism. Dr Yoshimoto and his colleagues would like to add liver cancer to that list.

Usage notes

edit
  • Not to be confused with college (which is a distant cognate, from Latin), and collage.

Synonyms

edit

Derived terms

edit
edit

Translations

edit

Verb

edit

colleague (third-person singular simple present colleagues, present participle colleaguing, simple past and past participle colleagued)

  1. (transitive) To unite or associate with another or with others.
    Young Fortinbras,
    Holding a weak supposal of our worth
    ...Colleagued with the dream of his advantage,
    ...hath not failed to pester us with message
    Importing the surrender of those lands
    Lost by his father.
    - Hamlet (Act I, Scene 2)

Further reading

edit