# Etymology of word "friend" in many languages



## paulhersh

Hello Team! I'm working on a project for my university's president, studying the etymologies of the word "friend" in different languages. Below is what I've come up with so far *[Post #1]*, could you please fill in any that you might know that I don't have yet *[Post #2]*? Also, if you know of any other languages version of "friend" and associated etymologies could you please let me know? If you see anything below that's wrong or have anything to add, please let me know. Please make all comments in original language and transliterated English please. Thank you!

*Friend* (English) - Old English - freond, "to love, to favor," from Pre-Germanic. *frijojanan "to love". Related to Old English freo "free." 
*Freundin* (German) – Old English: freond, to love - In turn, "freond" comes from "fri", which is Germanic for "to like, to love", and which is also connected with the Norse goddess Frigg, the goddess of love.
*Vriend* (Dutch & Afrikaans) – Old English: freond, to love - In turn, "freond" comes from "fri", which is Germanic for "to like, to love", and which is also connected with the Norse goddess Frigg, the goddess of love.

*Sahib* (صاحب) (Arabic) - respectful address to Europeans in India, 1673, from Hindi or Urdu sahib "master, lord," from Arabic, originally "friend, companion," from sahiba "he accompanied." OR - the word for "friend" comes from the root "truth," because "Who is your friend? The one who tells you the truth."

*Amicus* (Latin) – amare: to love
*Amico* (Italian) – amare: to love
*Ami* (French) - aimer: to love
*Amigo* (Spanish) - amor: to love
*Mik* (Albanian) - amicus from Latin

*Bondhu* (Bengali) – Indic bandh – to tie
*Bandu* (Sinhalese) – Indic bandh – to tie

*Dost* (Urdu) – From Persian dost – Friend / Lover

*Ven* (Danish) - From Old Norse vinr, related to Latin venus (beauty), also Nynorsk (One of the two major Norwegian languages, literally meaning "new Norwegian") ven (beautiful)
*Venn* (Finnish) - From Old Norse vinr, related to Latin venus (beauty), also Nynorsk (One of the two major Norwegian languages, literally meaning "new Norwegian") ven (beautiful)

*Philos* (φίλος) (Greek) – phileo: to love

*Péngyǒu* (朋友) (Mandarin) - In Shang-Yin (XVI – XI BC) oracle bone inscriptions the character "you" (later – "friend") designated one of types of sacred communication between men and divine ancestors. It implied provision of offerings from the part of descendants and a grant of support from the ancestors’ part in exchange. The character "peng" (later – a part of word combination "pengyou" – "friend") was used as the measure word for "bunches of cowries" being an important component of ritual gift exchange in Early China. The character "bin" (later – "guest") in Shang-Yin time designated special sacred ceremony of entertainment of royal ancestors. In Western Zhou (XI - VIII BC) period it used to designate a type of exchange between men of the same social status, and, on the other hand, a type of tribute delivered by dependent tribes or political units. It also comprised the graph "cowry". Thus this symbol of ritual exchange link the concepts of "friendship" and "hospitality" to each other, making us suppose that gifts used to play an important role in such kind of relationship. 

*Tomodachi* (Japanese) - Tomodachi is the Japanse word for friend. Tomodachi is written with two kanji: 友 (tomo, friend) and 達(-tachi, attain). The first kanji comes from the Chinese you and represents two hands (又 right and 左 left) working together. The second kanji comes from the Chinese da and isn't relevant to the etymology (it's phonetic, "a word about moving that sounds like da" = attain). The Japanse word itself then stems from the idea that working together to accomplish a task creates friends. For the Japanese this will generally be true, as the members of your ka sei (課制, company work group) are often the people you socialize with the most. A familiar abbreviation of the term, just tomo, translates closer to "buddy" or "pal" (私の友). 

*Kaibigan* (Tagalog) - the root word "ibig", meaning "to love." Putting "ka" before a rootword signifies a state of being, such as "kasama" (ka + sama "to go with"), literally "being someone to go with" or "companion". Putting "an" or "han" after a word makes the focus of the sentence the direction of the action, such as "simba" (to worship) + "han" becomes "simbahan", a church, literally, "a place to worship". Thus, "kaibigan" could literally mean, "the state of being someone to share love with"!

*Caraid* (Gaelic) - Irish, Old Irish cara, g. carat, *karant-; Old Irish verb carim, caraim, I love, Welsh caraf, amo, Breton quaret, amare, Gaulish carantus, Caractacus, etc.; Latin cârus, dear, English charity, etc.; Gothic hôrs, meretrix

*Rafiki* (Swahili) - From Arabic رفيق (rafí:q, 'companion,' 'buddy,' 'comrade,' 'partner') < رفق (ráfaqa, 'to be kind,' 'to be friendly, 'to be courteous').

*Drug* (друг) (Russian) - Originally, друг was the predicative (short) form of другой ("another"). It is related to второй ("second") < OCS въторъ ("other", "second") < PIE *wi-tero- ("more apart") < PIE base *wi- ("separation") + comparative suffix *-tero- ("-er").
*Draugs* (Latvian) – From Russian Drug (and related history)

*Barát* (Hungarian) - From Proto-Slavic *bratrъ, *bratъ, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr. (Brat = brother)


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## paulhersh

*[Continued from post #1]*
*Paulhersh asked *could you please fill in any that you might know that I don't have yet" 

*Chingu* (親舊) (Korean)

*Chaver* (חבר) (Hebrew)
*Me Tra* (Vietnamese?)
*Teman* (Indonesian)
*Jakkr* (?)
*Arkadasim* (Turkish)
*Anker* (Armenian)
*Přítel* (Czech)
*Kamrat* (Swedish)
*Znajomy* (Polish)
*Ystävä* (Finnish)
*Prijatelj* (Croatian)

*Paulhersch also asked:* 
Also, if you know of any other languages version of "friend" and associated etymologies could you please let me know?


*Please only post other words for friend with a plausible etymology.*

*Frank*
*Moderator EHL*


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## Denis555

*Amigo* (Portuguese) - amor: to love
*Przyjaciel *(Polish) -> the version you gave (znajomy) doesn't mean friend but an acquaintance.


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## MarX

Indonesian has at least four words for "friend":
*teman*
*kawan*
*sahabat*
*sobat*

I don't know about the etymology of *teman* and *kawan*, but I think *sahabat* is a loanword from Sanskrit or Arabic, and that *sobat* is simply a shortened version of it.

*Sahabat* and *sobat* imply a closer friendship than *teman* or *kawan*.

Salam,


MarX


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## SerinusCanaria3075

paulhersh said:


> *Amigo* (Spanish) - am*o*r: to love


 


Denis555 said:


> *Amigo* (Portuguese) - am*o*r: to love
> *Przyjaciel *(Polish) -> the version you gave (znajomy) doesn't mean friend but an acquaintance.


 
Surely you mean:
am*a*r: To love.


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## Mahaodeh

paulhersh said:


> *Sahib* (صاحب) (Arabic) - respectful address to Europeans in India, 1673, from Hindi or Urdu sahib "master, lord," from Arabic, originally "friend, companion," from sahiba "he accompanied." OR - the word for "friend" comes from the root "truth," because "Who is your friend? The one who tells you the truth."


 
Sahib is used sometimes to describe a friend, however, it actually is a companion, from as you said the verb sahiba = to accompany.  The word sahib can be used to describe a companion (on a journy), a friend and a spouse (since they accompany eachother in the journy of life).

Freind in Arabic is actually Sadeeq صديق, from Sadaqa صدق, to tell the truth. He is called so because a freind does two things: he tells you the truth and he believes what you say. i.e., between two friends is only truth (no lies).


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## paulhersh

Does 'sadaqa' have any relation to the Hebrew 'tzedakah' (commonly translated as 'charity' but based on the root for 'justice' (tzedek))? Thank you!


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## Linafel

"Freundin" (German) is feminin; "Freund" is masculin.
In Spanish, "amigo" (masc.) and "amiga" (fem.)
And the same in Franch: "ami" (masc.) and "amie" (fem.)
I suppose there must be more languages that change the noun's form dependig on the geder.


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## MarX

Mahaodeh said:


> Sahib is used sometimes to describe a friend, however, it actually is a companion, from as you said the verb sahiba = to accompany. The word sahib can be used to describe a companion (on a journy), a friend and a spouse (since they accompany eachother in the journy of life).
> 
> Freind in Arabic is actually Sadeeq صديق, from Sadaqa صدق, to tell the truth. He is called so because a freind does two things: he tells you the truth and he believes what you say. i.e., between two friends is only truth (no lies).


 
That reminds me of another word for close friend in Indonesian: *sohib*.
I guess it's related to *sahabat *and *sobat*.

So Indonesian has at least _five_ words for "friend":

*teman*
*kawan*
*sahabat*
*sobat*
*sohib*


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## cajzl

Slavic:

přítel (Czech)
priateľ (Slovak)
przyjaciel (Polish)
prijatelj (Croatian)
приятель (Russian)

are derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *prьja-ti* (by the suffix *-telь*)

derived from IE base **prei-* _to be fond of, hold dear (> friend)_, Sans. *priyá-* _dear, desired_

The Slavic words are related to the Germanic friend, Freund, etc.


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## Sorcha

Hi,
just something I noticed about the etymology of the Celtic words
you ahve written "*Caraid* (Gaelic) - Irish, Old Irish cara, g. carat, *karant-; Old Irish verb carim, caraim, I love, Welsh caraf, amo, Breton quaret, amare,"
I know there is a significant link between Latin and Irish, and the Celtic words remind me of the latin verb quarare....is(or could there be) there a link?
Sorcha


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## Flaminius

paulhersh said:


> *Tomodachi* (Japanese) - Tomodachi is the Japanse word for friend. Tomodachi is written with two kanji: 友 (tomo, friend) and 達(-tachi, attain). The first kanji comes from the Chinese you and represents two hands (又 right and 左 left) working together. Kanji etymology is irrelevant to the etymology of _tomodachi_ and the kanji etymology of working together is not without disagreement.  The second kanji comes from the Chinese da and isn't relevant to the etymology (it's phonetic, "a word about moving that sounds like da" = attain). The Japanse word itself then stems from the idea that working together to accomplish a task creates friends (Statement A). For the Japanese this will generally be true, as the members of your ka sei (課制, company work group) are often the people you socialize with the most (Statement B). A familiar abbreviation of the term, just tomo, translates closer to "buddy" or "pal" (私の友).  _Tomo_ is not a "familiar abbreviation" but the etymologically authentic word meaning a friend.  In Modern Japanese, _tomodachi_ prevails over _tomo_ in use.  私の友 sounds rather archaic— it never translates into "a buddy of mine."



The veracity of Statement A is questionable whereas that of Statement B is at best limited to the industrialised sectors of modern Japan.  Neither of the two, or the two combined, makes a good argument for this etymological enquiry.

The usages of _tomo_ in older Japanese include; companion, friend, peer and attendant.  The idea is doing something together (E.g., An attendant accompanies where his master goes) or having something in common (E.g., Peers belong to the same referent group; a likely group in the ancient society is one's tribe).  The togetherness or sameness does not necessarily mean sharing the same project.

_Tomodachi_ can be analysed as _tomo_ with the suffix _tachi_ (Originally "a group of ~", it is a productive suffix for making plurals).  The first consonant of the second element undergoes voicing upon compounding.  It may be that _tomodachi _once meant "a group of friends/peers" but today it is used indiscriminately for any number of friends (including one friend).  There is no form to supply a plural.  The distinction of numbers —as it never seem to have been the case— matters very little in Modern Japanese.


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## mkh

Hi,
Friend in Avesta is frya : dear, beloved, affectionate; a friend, a well-wisher.
Frya may be cognate to friend, related to O.E. freo "free.".


Thanks,
Mahdi.


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## בעל-חלומות

The word חבר in Hebrew comes from the root ח.ב.ר which means "to connect". 

Another word in Hebrew that means "friend" is ידיד (yadid), whose root - I think - means love, and is also the root of the word דוד (dod), "uncle". I'm not that sure about this one though, so maybe you should wait for confirmation.



			
				paulhersh said:
			
		

> Does 'sadaqa' have any relation to the Hebrew 'tzedakah' (commonly translated as 'charity' but based on the root for 'justice' (tzedek))? Thank you!


 
You pretty much answered your qustion. צדקה comes from the root צ.ד.ק which means "justice".


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## mkh

בעל-חלומות said:


> Another word in Hebrew that means "friend" is ידיד (yadid), whose root - I think - means love, and is also the root of the word דוד (dod), "uncle". I'm not that sure about this one though, so maybe you should wait for confirmation.


Yadid in Hebrew may be cognate to عزیز (aziz) in Arabic means dear and darling.


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## Probo

Hello: you've got, as well,
Galician: amigo/a, amar.
Català: amic.

Perhaps it's interesting for you the relationship between Latin *am-*(>amicus, amare) and the Greek *ἄμα*, adverb meaning *next to *(Latin and Greek are Indo-European languages, as you know). Saludos, amigo .


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## OBrasilo

paulhersh said:
			
		

> *Drug* (друг) (Russian) - Originally, друг was the predicative (short) form of другой ("another"). It is related to второй ("second") < OCS въторъ ("other", "second") < PIE *wi-tero- ("more apart") < PIE base *wi- ("separation") + comparative suffix *-tero- ("-er").



Actually, the word most probably originates from an ancient Slavic verb, that means _to be in company_, or _to socialize_, which is still preserved in Slovenian, as _družiti se_, and the word _drug _for _friend_, is also still preserved in Slovenian, as an archaism. This word was even used in the Slovenian translation of Bob Dylan's _Blowin' In The Wind_, as the more common word, _prijatelj_, is too long to fit in that song's chorus. In Slovenian, also related are the words _družaben_ (meaning _sociable_), and _družba_, meaning both _company _(in both senses of the English word), and _society_.
Also, there's the word _drugi_ in Slovenian as well, that means both another, and the second (as in, ordinal number).


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## Spectre scolaire

paulhersh said:
			
		

> *Arkadasim* *arka**daşım* (Turkish)


 arkadaşım meaning “my friend”, let’s concentrate on the main word:

*arka**daş* is made up by arka, “behind; supporter” + the suffix –daş, “_fellow with regard to..., companion concerning_”, cf meslektaş, “colleague”, literally: “companion of profession” – and many other words.
 ​


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## Wynn Mathieson

From http://www.kimkat.org

Etymology of the Welsh-language word *cyfaill* (= friend) 
-----------------------------------------------------
< cyfaillt
(cyf- prefix) + (aillt) < British *kom-alt-jos (= joined together; joined in friendship)
The element alt is to be seen
(1) in obsolete Welsh cyfalle (= union, joining together; spouse) < cyfalledd < British *kom-alt-ijâ
(2) in Cornish kevals (= joint, articulation) (British kom-alt),
(3) and in the Irish words alt (= joint, articulation); comhalta (= foster brother, foster sister; member);
and comhaltas (= association)
Note: cyfeilles (= female friend) (cyfaill + -es, suffix denoting a female);
y gyfeilles = the (female) friend

Wynn


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## avok

*Turkish:*

Arkadaş

Arka/daş

Arka: Back,  so "Arkadaş" : someone that you can lean on  (back to back)


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## OldAvatar

cajzl said:


> Slavic:
> 
> přítel (Czech)
> priateľ (Slovak)
> przyjaciel (Polish)
> prijatelj (Croatian)
> приятель (Russian)
> 
> are derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *prьja-ti* (by the suffix *-telь*)
> 
> derived from IE base **prei-* _to be fond of, hold dear (> friend)_, Sans. *priyá-* _dear, desired_
> 
> The Slavic words are related to the Germanic friend, Freund, etc.



Also, _
prieten_ (Romanian).

Romanian has the word _amic_ too, with a very similar meaning.


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## Spectre scolaire

OldAvatar said:


> Also,
> _prieten_ (Romanian).
> 
> Romanian has the word _amic_ too, with a very similar meaning.


 I have looked up *prieten* and *amic* in my Romanian dictionary, but can’t figure out any semantic difference between them.  

There must be one, though - even if it is only historical or dialectal. 
 ​


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## robbie_SWE

Spectre scolaire said:


> I have looked up *prieten* and *amic* in my Romanian dictionary, but can’t figure out any semantic difference between them.
> 
> There must be one, though - even if it is only historical or dialectal.
> 
> ​


 
There is no semantic difference; amic is interchangeable. The difference is that one is derived from Slavic and the other from Latin. Some people think that the latter isn't as strong as the former, because they consider it to be a neologism (even if this can be discussed!).

 robbie


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## Gavril

paulhersh said:


> *Venn* (Finnish) - From Old Norse vinr, related to Latin venus (beauty), also Nynorsk (One of the two major Norwegian languages, literally meaning "new Norwegian") ven (beautiful)



Did you mean to write "Norwegian" rather than "Finnish" here?

On which topic, I wonder if anyone knows the etymology of Finnish _kaveri,_ a more informal word for "friend"?


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## OldAvatar

robbie_SWE said:


> There is no semantic difference; amic is interchangeable. The difference is that one is derived from Slavic and the other from Latin. Some people think that the latter isn't as strong as the former, because they consider it to be a neologism (even if this can be discussed!).
> 
> robbie



There is a semantic difference, maybe not an official one, but there is indeed a slight difference in modern spoken Romanian. The tend is _to use prieten _/ _prietenă _for *boyfriend */ *girlfriend*, while _amic _/ _amică _is just _a friend_.


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## Lugubert

Post No. 2 said:
			
		

> *Ven* (Danish) - From Old Norse vinr, related to Latin venus (beauty), also Nynorsk (One of the two major Norwegian languages, literally meaning "new Norwegian") ven (beautiful)
> *Venn* (Finnish) - From Old Norse vinr, related to Latin venus (beauty), also Nynorsk (One of the two major Norwegian languages, literally meaning "new Norwegian") ven (beautiful)



As has been pointed out, _Finnish_ should be _Norwegian_.

Judging from my Swedish sources on the Swedish friend *vän* (short vowel despite the single 'n'), the above "ven (beautiful)" (corresponding to Swedish *vän* (long vowel as predicted by the spelling)) has different Germanic origins. For the topical vän, it and its _venus_ relation might have a shared origin with Sanskrit _vanas_ 'lust'.


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## Sepia

In a couple of threads the Danish/Norwegian 

"Ven" 

is mentioned. 

WE can get closer than that, though.

"Frænde" is an old Danish word for friend.

Not used any more, but should be understood when read. The Danish title of one of the famous books by J.F. Cooper: Frændeløs. Not sure about the original title but retranslated it means "friend-less".

I am not sure it covers the full meaning of "friend" (or of "ven") - my notion of it is more like "friend" as opposed to "enemy".


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## Spectre scolaire

Sepia said:


> The Danish title of one of the famous books by J.F. Cooper: Frændeløs. Not sure about the original title but retranslated it means "friend-less".


 Just for the record: _Fr__ændeløs_ is a book written by Hector Malot (1830-1907) – original title: _Sans famille_. When it was written, James Fenimore Cooper had been dead for about 25 years. 
 ​


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## Gavril

Western Armenian: wnkve (@nger),   baevkam (paregam)

I still don't know enough about Armenian to understand how these terms differ.


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## Asgaard

Hi,

Mongolian:
friend: 	журмын нєхєр, анд, нєхєр, найз, хамтран зїтгэгч 

Sumerian:
dusa [FRIEND] (8x: Ur III, Old Babylonian)  "friend, companion" 

Akkadian. ru'u

and also:

guli [FRIEND] (91x: ED IIIb, Lagash II, Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. gu5-li; gu-li; gu7-li "friend, comrade" *Akk. ibru*

kulili [COLLEAGUE] (1x: Old Babylonian) wr. ku-li-li "colleague" Akk. itbaru

niĝirsi [FRIEND] (22x: ED IIIb, Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. niĝir-si; li-bi-ir-si "(bridegroom's) friend"

celtic:

here


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## Josh_

בעל-חלומות said:
			
		

> paulhersh said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mahaodeh said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sahib is used sometimes to describe a friend, however, it actually is a companion, from as you said the verb sahiba = to accompany. The word sahib can be used to describe a companion (on a journy), a friend and a spouse (since they accompany eachother in the journy of life).
> 
> Freind in Arabic is actually Sadeeq صديق, from Sadaqa صدق, to tell the truth. He is called so because a freind does two things: he tells you the truth and he believes what you say. i.e., between two friends is only truth (no lies).
> 
> 
> 
> Does 'sadaqa' have any relation to the Hebrew 'tzedakah' (commonly translated as 'charity' but based on the root for 'justice' (tzedek))? Thank you!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> You pretty much answered your qustion. צדקה comes from the root צ.ד.ק which means "justice".
Click to expand...

Yes, both צ-ד-ק (ts-d-k) and ص-د-ق (S-d-q) are cognate roots with meanings related to telling the truth, being righteous, being just, etc.



			
				mkh said:
			
		

> בעל-חלומות said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The word חבר in Hebrew comes from the root ח.ב.ר which means "to connect".
> 
> Another word in Hebrew that means "friend" is ידיד (yadid), whose root - I think - means love, and is also the root of the word דוד (dod), "uncle". I'm not that sure about this one though, so maybe you should wait for confirmation.
> 
> 
> 
> Yadid in Hebrew may be cognate to عزیز (aziz) in Arabic means dear and darling.
Click to expand...

Actually, the Hebraic root י-ד-ד (y-d-d) is the cognate of Arabic و-د-د (w-d-d)* which means 'to like or love'. In fact Arabic has a word, وديد (wadiid), meaning 'devoted' or 'friendly', which is the same shape as the Hebrew ידיד (yadiid).

The Arabic root ع-ز-ز (l3-z-z), from whence comes عزیز (l3aziiz), is the cognate of the Hebrew ע-ז-ז (l3-z-z). Both have meanings of being strong.

----------------
*As the first radical of a root the Hebrew י (y) can correspond to the Arabic ي (y) or و (w).


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## ThomasK

Just an idea or a suggestion, Paul: this is quite interesting, but you would not feel like summarizing the main 'roots' of the translations of 'friend' ? 

As a newcomer, one would have a quick survey of the main answers in that way. But of course, it takes some time. 

Just an idea...

Thanks,
janG


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## thelastchoice

In Arabic, there three common words for friend:
1. صديق Sadeeq which comes form صدق Sadaqa to say the truth or to be truthful
the Plural is أصدقاء Asdiqaa and the noun is صداقة Sadaaqah Friendship
2. صاحب Sahib which comes from صحب Sahiba to accompany and the plural for صاحب is أصحاب As'haab and Friendship is صحبة Suh'bah.
3. رفيق Rafeeq which comes from رفق Rifq which is Kindness and friends will be رفاق Rifaq and Friendship is رفقة Rufqah.


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## Aydintashar

Azeri: _Yoldaş - _consisting of _yol _(way) and _daş _(same, together, common), which together means literary: _those with a common way_.


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## ThomasK

For a second I thought of companion, as he is the one who often joins you on your way (through life), but basically s/he is someone one shares one's bread with (cum-pane). 

JanG


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## tuomaskk

Actually word "friend" in Finnish is "Ystava". The correct spelling has umlauts on the letters a on ystava. 

Venn is probably Swedish. Finnish is not at all related to Swedish or Norwegian. Finnish is a Fenno-Ugrian language that belongs to Ural-Altaic branch.

Other words that are similar to ystava: kaveri (=buddy, comrade, tyokaveri= workmate), tuttava (=aquitance, someone you know but are not really friends with yet)

Compare to other similar words in Finnish:

Yksin=alone
Yksi=one

Ystava=friend

When you have a friend, you are no longer alone.

Who knows what the etymology of the word ystava in Finnish are... what is ystava / friend in other Fenno-Ugric languages, such as Estonian, Magyar (Hungarian), Karelian, Saami...



paulhersh said:


> *Venn* (Finnish) - From Old Norse vinr, related to Latin venus (beauty), also Nynorsk (One of the two major Norwegian languages, literally meaning "new Norwegian") ven (beautiful)


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## Corsicum

*Amicu* (Corsican)  - amicus, amare- : friend/lover  -  *amicacciu* :  friend - *amicucciu* : lover - *Amà *: To love


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## Hilde

norwegian: venn 

In your list you are referring to nynorsk, but I must tell you to be careful here, as nynorsk/bokmål are written languages, and the Norwegian vocabulary is not really devided in two when it comes to spoken language. Though in writing some words are _only_ nynorsk and some _only_ bokmål, in spoken language/dialects, there is no such division. So "ven" (meaning beautiful) is Norwegian, and not really just nynorsk


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## kazim

Aydintashar said:


> Azeri: _Yoldaş - _consisting of _yol _(way) and _daş _(same, together, common), which together means literary: _those with a common way_.


Well,I would say "dost" is the exact word for "friend". You can be "yoldash" without being "dost". "Dost" implies close sincere friendship. "Yoldash" is rather "pal" or "buddy" in English, "prijatel' " or "tovarisch" in Russian, "camarade" in French. 
As for the etymology, I feel the word comes from Persian, although I may be wrong.

"Yoldash" is also used referring to one's wife (comes from "həyat yoldashı" - lit."friend of life"). In Soviet times, "yoldash" was also used for "comrade".


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## trance0

OBrasilo said:


> Actually, the word most probably originates from an ancient Slavic verb, that means _to be in company_, or _to socialize_, which is still preserved in Slovenian, as _družiti se_, and the word _drug _for _friend_, is also still preserved in Slovenian, as an archaism. This word was even used in the Slovenian translation of Bob Dylan's _Blowin' In The Wind_, as the more common word, _prijatelj_, is too long to fit in that song's chorus. In Slovenian, also related are the words _družaben_ (meaning _sociable_), and _družba_, meaning both _company _(in both senses of the English word), and _society_.
> Also, there's the word _drugi_ in Slovenian as well, that means both another, and the second (as in, ordinal number).
> [/size]



Actually, pretty much everything you mentioned is also true for Serbocroatian.


----------



## ThomasK

I thought of the origin of _comrad/ Kamerad/ kameraad_: one sharing the same room (_k/Kamm)er_ in German/ Dutch)...


----------



## berndf

Yes, but derived from Latin camera/camara, not from the German/Dutch cognates.


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## ThomasK

Giod Lord, another mistake of mine ! --- I agree but was just referring to the Dutch/ German cognates, not really to the etymology... ;-)


----------



## berndf

ThomasK said:


> ...was just referring to the Dutch/ German cognates, not really to the etymology... ;-)


My remark was just a clarification, not a correction.


----------



## elpoderoso

OBrasilo said:


> Actually, the word most probably originates from an ancient Slavic verb, that means _to be in company_, or _to socialize_, which is still preserved in Slovenian, as _družiti se_, and the word _drug _for _friend_, is also still preserved in Slovenian, as an archaism. This word was even used in the Slovenian translation of Bob Dylan's _Blowin' In The Wind_, as the more common word, _prijatelj_, is too long to fit in that song's chorus. In Slovenian, also related are the words _družaben_ (meaning _sociable_), and _družba_, meaning both _company _(in both senses of the English word), and _society_.
> Also, there's the word _drugi_ in Slovenian as well, that means both another, and the second (as in, ordinal number).
> [/size]


Isn't there a Polish cognate of _drug _meaning _friend_? 
I'm pretty sure I read it in a film's subtitles. I know in Polish _drugi_ means others, but I'm pretty sure in the scene the word was used to mean friend.


----------



## sokol

elpoderoso said:


> Isn't there a Polish cognate of _drug _meaning _friend_?
> I'm pretty sure I read it in a film's subtitles. I know in Polish _drugi_ means others, but I'm pretty sure in the scene the word was used to mean friend.


My Polish dictionary don't thinks so, but there may be a colloquial word like that which isn't in the dictionary.
Anyway, Polish has _druh _= comrade; pathfinder (says the very same dictionary) which should/could be a cognate of Slovenian _drug _(that is, the ancient one which isn't used much more as described by OBrasilo).


----------



## elpoderoso

I think that you are right Sokol, now that you mention it, it must have been ''druh'''that I read. Isn't it usually Czech that has ''h'' instead of ''g'' though?


----------



## sokol

elpoderoso said:


> I think that you are right Sokol, now that you mention it, it must have been ''druh'''that I read.  Isn't it usually Czech that has ''h'' indtead of ''g'' though?


Usually it is, yes; and usually in Polish "g" stays "g" (I also just checked with a few "g" words, they all had "g" - in initial position, in Polish).

I took a guess here with Polish "druh" - it may be that it is _not _a cognate of "drug"; I only think that this is likely.


----------



## Athaulf

sokol said:


> Usually it is, yes; and usually in Polish "g" stays "g" (I also just checked with a few "g" words, they all had "g" - in initial position, in Polish).
> 
> I took a guess here with Polish "druh" - it may be that it is _not _a cognate of "drug"; I only think that this is likely.



According to Vasmer, Russian _drug_ and the similar words in other major Slavic languages are all cognates. However, curiously, Vasmer cites Old Polish _drug_ with /g/ at the end, not the modern Polish _druh_. As far as I know, there hasn't been any regular mutation of final /g/ in Polish. Could it be that this word vanished at some point and was then borrowed from Ukrainian, Czech, or some other neighboring language in which /g/ changed into a rear fricative?


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## sokol

Athaulf said:


> (...) However, curiously, Vasmer cites Old Polish _drug_ with /g/ at the end, not the modern Polish _druh_. (...) Could it be that this word vanished at some point and was then borrowed from Ukrainian, Czech, or some other neighboring language in which /g/ changed into a rear fricative?


A loan from Ukrainian would be likely because there were close relations between both nations, and unlikely because Polish, then, was the language of the political leaders (that is, before it became divided in the 18th century; and of course later when Poland was under Russian rule it was the other way round, they didn't like their new rulers).

I can't really see borrowing from Czech, but who knows; I am still only guessing.


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## dihydrogen monoxide

Slovene besides drug which is not used often has prijatelj and tovariš. However, tovariš was used during the socialism era as tovariši, which would respond to BCS drugovi, but nowadays you would call tovariš your teacher in primary school.
BCS besides drug has prijatelj, kompa (Zagreb slang for friend), which is from companion and particular to Bosnian usage is jaran which is of Turkish origin.


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## elpoderoso

dihydrogen monoxide said:


> Slovene besides drug which is not used often has prijatelj and tovariš. However, tovariš was used during the socialism era as tovariši, which would respond to BCS drugovi, but nowadays you would call tovariš your teacher in primary school.
> BCS besides drug has prijatelj, kompa (Zagreb slang for friend), which is from companion and particular to Bosnian usage is jaran which is of Turkish origin.


 Does kompa have anything to do with German ''kumpel''?


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## dihydrogen monoxide

elpoderoso said:


> Does kompa have anything to do with German ''kumpel''?


 
If kumpel is related to companion, company then yes.


----------



## nort9111

paulhersh said:


> *[Continued from post #1]*
> *Paulhersh asked *could you please fill in any that you might know that I don't have yet"
> 
> *Chingu* (親舊) (Korean)


 

chin-gu is a Sino-Korean word. The native Korean for 'friend' is 벗 which is pronounced very similar to English 'but'. However chin-gu is more common in everyday speach than the native word. 


=)


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## arsham

In Persian (Pers.)

New Pers. du:st <-- early New Pers. do:st <-- Middle Pers. do:st <-- Old Pers. daushtar- agent noun with the suffix -tar from daush- to love/like, hence Middle Pers. do:shi:dan (to love; not to be confused with do:shi:dan/do:xtan to milk) and do:sha:ram (love)

*** I use colon instead of macron to denote long vowels!


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## HUMBERT0

elpoderoso said:


> Does *kompa* have anything to do with German ''kumpel''?


 
Interesting, in slang we also sometimes use “*Compa*” as friend in my country, from compañero, companion. 
Also Cuate is used for friend by some in informal situations, but that word comes from Nahuatl.


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## Corsicum

HUMBERT0 said:


> Interesting, in slang we also sometimes use “*Compa*” as friend in my country, from compañero, companion.


*Also for Corsican* : *cumpa *= *friend*, (_*O cumpa ! cumpare è cumare)* _from latin: compatre(m)


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## ThomasK

So )
we seem to have references to 
- sharing bread (companion)
- sharing rooms (comrade)
- love (Persian)

Does Korean have a special connotation or origin ?


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## MarX

MarX said:


> That reminds me of another word for close friend in Indonesian: *sohib*.
> I guess it's related to *sahabat *and *sobat*.
> 
> So Indonesian has at least _five_ words for "friend":
> 
> *teman*
> *kawan*
> *sahabat*
> *sobat*
> *sohib*


I forgot to say that *sohib* is often used in combination with *teman* or *kawan*.

*Teman sohib* or *kawan sohib* mean _close friend_.

Another word used in a similar way as *sohib* is *karib*. So there's *sahabat karib* which means _close_ or even _best friend_.

I'd guess that *karib* also has Arab or Persian origin, because "native" Indonesian words don't usually end with a *-b*.


----------



## Zsuzsu

Mongolian:

Modern: найз (pronounced like naij)
Written (Classical): nayija

Most probably it comes from the noun най (Class. Mongolian: nai), which means cordiality, geniality, frendliness etc.


----------



## esqualduna

The Basque word for "friend" is _adiskide_, and it's usually derived from *_adinez (k)ide --> __adin_: 'age' (or 'mind,intellect' like in Old Biscayan); -_e_-: anaptyxis; _-z_: instrumental/adverbial; (_k)ide_: 'partner,fellow').

But is also plausible to derive it from: *_adiz (k)ide,_ where _adi_ may have the second meaning of _adin, _'mind' (like in Old Biscayan);
cf. _adi egon_ 'to pay attention' (literally 'to be/stay attentive'), _adi(tu)_ 'to understand'.
_adi_ comes from de reanalysis of latin participle _(auditu(m) >) aditu > adi-tu_ (the suffix _-tu_ is nowadays the only derivational suffix with which Basque can create new verbs or, literally, verb participles).

Bye!


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## dinji

paulhersh said:


> *Chaver* (חבר) (Hebrew)
> 
> *Ystävä* (Finnish)


 


Gavril said:


> On which topic, I wonder if anyone knows the etymology of Finnish _kaveri,_ a more informal word for "friend"?


 
Hebrew _chaver_ חבר comes from a root associated with ties and group affinity (_chevra_ 'association', _chibbur_ 'public' etc.)

Finnish _kaveri_ may be a borrowing from Yiddish _χawer_ (from Hebrew) or it may be a contamination of older _kamraati_ (<= Swedish _kamrat_ 'comrade') and _toveri_ (<= Russian _tavaritsh_)

The origin of _ystävä_ is not very clear but a connection to Proto-Germanic *wunskja (cf. wünschen, önska) is proposed, either over a hypothetic Proto-Finnic verb *üs-tä- < *(v)ü(n)s(k)-tä- (_-tä_ is a common derivational suffix) assumed for the purposes of explaining this etymology, or over the word _yskä_ 'lap' over _*yskättävä_ 'one to be hugged'


----------



## HZTB

The French word "copain" is a somehow familiar way to refer to a friend. It is a very old word (from the Middle Ages I think) and comes for the Greek "co": to share and the Latin "panis": bread. So the "copain" is the one you share your bread with.

Nowadays "un copain/une copine" still means "a friend" but "mon copain/ma copine means "my boyfriend/ my girlfriend".


----------



## Itzulberri

In Basque, there is also another word for "friend": _lagun_. I do not know how it was created, but the verb _lagundu_ (_lagun_ + latin suffix _tu_(_m_)) means _to help_.


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## franz rod

> for the Greek "co": to share


No, it came from Latin cum (cum=with).


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## eltoropoderoso

Friend, (or Friends) is also how those belonging to the Baha'i faith address themeselves.  Quakers also refer themselves to as "Friends"


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## WadiH

Arabic words for "friend:"

صديق _Sadiiq_: derived from the root for "truth."
صاحب _Saahib_: literally meaning "companion" but used as "friend," and in Classical Arabic, used as "spouse."

Local words for "friend" in my country:

رفيق _Rufiidz_: same as _Saahib _above.
خويّ _KHawiyy_: derived from the root for "brotherhood."


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## Abu Rashid

A few more for Arabic.

رفيق (rafeeq) Comrade.
خليل (khaleel) ٍClose confidant, companion.


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## ThomasK

This is all quite interesting, especially thinks like _Sadiq_, true (which is not so strange as _betrothal_, marriage, has the same root as _true_ as well, as truth and relationship seem linked, which is not so strange). 

But aren't we are on the verge of missing the point? I mean: are these words perfect(...) equivalents of 'friend'? I just think of the French 'copain' and 'ami': if someone tells me 'copain' is a translation of 'friend', I would not agree - although it is clear that there are links. Can anyone comment on this issue?

Maybe you will find it interesting that 'Trabant', the infamous GDR car, refers to a 'companion', which reminds me: course all citizens were 'comrades', but not friends ;-).


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## Abu Rashid

> But aren't we are on the verge of missing the point? I mean: are these  words perfect(...) equivalents of 'friend'? I just think of the French  'copain' and 'ami': if someone tells me 'copain' is a translation of  'friend', I would not agree - although it is clear that there are links.  Can anyone comment on this issue?



This is a good point, and one I was going to address regarding the Arabic words. Because there's probably about 10 or more words in Arabic that could be translated as friend. Each one highlights a different aspect of friendship. "Sadiq" highlights true/trusted friend, "wali" is a protector or guardian kind of friend and so on.

It is because each language usually has several synonyms for words like friend, and those synonyms will not always perfectly match up with words in other languages.


----------



## ThomasK

Maybe that is the explanation: it is never a perfect match. Yet I wonder if there were no consensus on the simple meaning of friend(ship), like when we say: "Oh yes, he is a good friend" (not more, not less). Can you imagine a simple 'match' in Arabic, Abu R ?


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## mataripis

MarX said:


> Indonesian has at least four words for "friend":
> *teman*
> *kawan*
> *sahabat*
> *sobat*
> 
> I don't know about the etymology of *teman* and *kawan*, but I think *sahabat* is a loanword from Sanskrit or Arabic, and that *sobat* is simply a shortened version of it.
> 
> *Sahabat* and *sobat* imply a closer friendship than *teman* or *kawan*.
> 
> Salam,
> 
> 
> MarX


Good day! masampata abe abe! I am a Tagalog Pilipino with small  background in Dumaget.Indonesian words have affinity and similarity with  Languages in Phil. Archipelago. Let me share my thoughts about these  four words. I am using Tagalog and Dumaget to explain the possible link  of these 4 words with the meaning of word Friend.1.) Teman= Te + man=  possible with or (mayroon man in Tagalog) and (Te duman in Dumaget)  maybe implying there is a trust between them.2.)Kawan- exist in Tagalog  and means "solid group" e.g. sa kawan ng kayumangging Tagalog may pag  kakaisa sa mabuting adhikain.(In the group of Tagalog there is a  cooperation in good will)  3.)Sahabat and sobat- In Tagalog, this is  closely related to "sabat" or reply/answer. In a friendship, close  relation help them to exchange thoughts as a for of  "Sabat"/Sahabat/Sobat.  between one another.


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## grubble

crony 1660s, Cambridge student slang, probably from Gk. _khronios_ "long-lasting, ..."

pal 1680s, from Romany (English Gypsy) _pal_ "brother, comrade," variant of continental Romany _pral, plal, phral_, probably from Skt. _bhrata_ "brother" ...

chum  1680s, university slang, alternative spelling of _cham_, short for _chamber(mate) ...

buddy 1850, Amer.Eng., possibly an alteration of brother, or from British colloquial butty "companion" ...

mate (n.) companion, associate, fellow, comrade," late 14c., from M.L.G. mate, gemate "one eating at the same table, ...

comrade 1590s, "one who shares the same room," from M.Fr. camarade (16c.), from Sp. camarada "chamber mate," ...


All the above etymologies are from
Online Etymology Dictionary
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=friend_


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## mataripis

franz rod said:


> No, it came from Latin cum (cum=with).


  In Tagalog there is a word "Kakampi"= companion/ally  from root word "kampi"  (with me/with us).


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## Mahaodeh

ThomasK said:


> Maybe that is the explanation: it is never a perfect match. Yet I wonder if there were no consensus on the simple meaning of friend(ship), like when we say: "Oh yes, he is a good friend" (not more, not less). Can you imagine a simple 'match' in Arabic, Abu R ?



That would definitely be Sadiiq. I would say that the others are less literal and it's always the first to come to your mind.


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## Johannes

_*Sahabat* and *sobat* imply a closer friendship than *teman* or *kawan*.

_In Dutch there is/was "soebatten" which was Malay in origin and meant to ask, to beg, or to speak with flattery


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## aruniyan

In Tamil one of the Oldest so called Dravidian language, Friendship means "Natpu",

But I think the word "Friend" could have come from the Tamil root, *Palan/Palayan*, Meaning one which is "with us for long time" or "Well known". 
The word *Practice*  also could be from this Tamil word, "*Palakuthal*".

I have collected numerous English words related to Tamil origin... I will post them once I am allowed to post URLS.

Thanks,
Aruniyan.


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## Abu Rashid

> But I think the word "Friend" could have come from the Tamil root, *Palan/Palayan*, Meaning one which is "with us for long time" or "Well known".



I thought friend is from fiend, neither of them going back to a Tamil root as far as I am aware.


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## aruniyan

Salaam Mr Abu,

Thanks for your Info.
Why i thought of that Tamil link 
Friend =Palan/Palayan (Most wanted, Most used)  

 is there are other words,

 "Fruit" = Palam
Fault = Paluthu
Favour/Free = Parivu =To Favour/To Show mercy





Paul Hersh,

Here are the Tamil words related to Friend, may be usefull to you.

Natpu : Friendship ( Literally "More close")
Tholan/Tholi : Friend (similar to urdu word Dost/Dosti, "Thol" means Shoulder/Arms, so symbolically, one who helps)



Thanks,
Aruniyan.


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## ancalimon

Turkish:  We have two words for friend.

Arkadaş: Arka (back) - daş (this suffix gives the meaning of "two people sharing & the words it's added to takes its power from the first part (examples> comrade:yoldaş: two friends sharing the same road, ideology -  confidant:sırdaş: two friends sharing the same secret - namesake:namedouble:adaş:two people sharing the name name" - paydaş:shareholder - dindaş:two people sharing the same religion ) to words it is added to. I think the word roughly means two people protecting each other.

Dost: This word in Turkish has a "stronger friendship" meaning. You may have many "arkadaş" but you have a few "dost".

Apart from those there are some other words like kanka (short slang of kan kardeş: blood brother)


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## DenisBiH

The literary words for friend in Bosnian are the same as the ones previously mentioned for Croatian, _drug_ and _prijatelj_, both of Slavic origin.

There are at least three more words in Bosnian, somewhat more colloquial, all loanwords. 

_jaran_ < Tur. yaran < Pers. (pl) yārān < yār: friend
_ahbab_ < Tur. < Arab. (pl) aḥbāb < ḥabīb
_haver_ < from Hebrew (I guess, can't find authoritative sources for etymology, only forum posts)


----------



## ancalimon

dinji said:


> Hebrew _chaver_ חבר comes from a root associated with ties and group affinity (_chevra_ 'association', _chibbur_ 'public' etc.)
> 
> Finnish _kaveri_ may be a borrowing from Yiddish _χawer_ (from Hebrew) or it may be a contamination of older _kamraati_ (<= Swedish _kamrat_ 'comrade') and _toveri_ (<= Russian _tavaritsh_)
> 
> The origin of _ystävä_ is not very clear but a connection to Proto-Germanic *wunskja (cf. wünschen, önska) is proposed, either over a hypothetic Proto-Finnic verb *üs-tä- < *(v)ü(n)s(k)-tä- (_-tä_ is a common derivational suffix) assumed for the purposes of explaining this etymology, or over the word _yskä_ 'lap' over _*yskättävä_ 'one to be hugged'



We also have that word in the form of "yaver" in Turkish.

...
Also in Turkish "sahip" somehow took the meaning of owner and in the past it waS the word a slave called his owner with.


----------



## AutumnOwl

paulhersh said:


> *Venn* (Finnish) - From Old Norse vinr, related to Latin venus (beauty), also Nynorsk (One of the two major Norwegian languages, literally meaning "new Norwegian") ven (beautiful)


Venn is *not* friend in Finnish, it's Norwegian. 

_*Ystävä*_ is friend in Finnish, _*vän*_ is friend in Swedish.


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

«Φίλος, φίλη, φίλο» ('filos, _m_, 'fili, _f_, 'filo _n_); from the classical «φίλος, φίλη, φίλον» ('pʰīlŏs, _m_/'pʰīlē, _f_/'pʰīlŏn, _n_) with the same meaning. Its etymology is unknown.
Verb «φιλέω/φιλῶ» (pʰĭ'lĕō [uncontracted]/pʰī'lō [contracted])--> _to regard with affection, love, kiss_. In the Modern language «φιλώ» means strictly _to kiss_. The Modern verb «φιλεύω» (fi'levo) a derivation of «φιλέω/φιλῶ», means _to treat, give a small gift_.    In colloquial, almost slang language, friend is «κολλητός» (koli'tos, _m_), «κολλητή» (koli'ti, _f_)--> lit. _sticky-friend_ (so close they seem to be glued together).


ThomasK said:


> So )
> we seem to have references to
> - sharing bread (companion)
> - sharing rooms (comrade)


In Greek the one with whom we share food is a «σύντροφος» (s'indrofos, _m/f_) and s/he could be our life partner, a roommate. 
The one with whom we share the same job or work under the same roof is a «συνάδελφος» (sin'aðelfos, _m/f_) lit. the _co-brother/sister_ metaph. the _member of the same association_.


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## Ben Jamin

*Amicus* (Latin) – amare: to love
*Amico* (Italian) – from Latin amicus, not from Italian amare
*Ami* (French) - from Latin amicus
*Amigo* (Spanish) - from Latin amicus


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## DenisBiH

I just remembered another one, also a loanword. It's closer to "buddy; companion" - _pajdaš_/_pajtaš_/_pajdo_.

The etymology, given here, is: Hung. pajtás; Tur. padaş < Pers. pāydāš: friend; companion


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## azizip17

I happened upon this old thread while surfing this forum's threads as a new member. 

And I thought of this thread when I watched a video of Ghanaian Azonto dance. The song "Azonto Fiesta" by Sarkodie Ft. Appietus & Kesse features the recurring phrase "Chale, she go want more".
Several commenters in that video's viewer comment thread responded to a question about the meaning of the word "chale". Two commenters wrote that chale is slang for "dude". However, another commenter wrote that "chale" means "friend and not "dude". That commenter mentioned the Ga word "chale wote".

I don't speak Ga which is a Kwa language which is part of the Niger- Congo Family and is spokenin Ghana in and around the capitol Accra.

However, I though that others might also be interested in the fact that several Ga language online sites [including a Google site called Ghana Web and a site called the Imported Ghanaian] list the word "chale" (also spelled "chalay" and "challey" on that site) and the word or phrase "chale wote" (also given as "chaliwotay").  The first site gives "chale's" English translation as "friend, buddy, pal" and the second site gives its translation as "friend". 

What I found interesting was that "chalewote" (chaliwotay) was translated as "rubber slippers" and  the Ghana website gives this information: " Wote" in the Ga language means "let'sgo." Challey is a slang term for pal or buddy. The name "chaliwotay" may thus suggest the ease with which one wears the slippers andgoes about his or her business, without the hassles of tying shoe laces."

[I understand new members can't provide links, but I think this website would be easy to find given its name and the subject matter.] 

I want to add this to this old thread because, besides Arabic and KiSwahili, I don't recall any mention in this thread of any other "traditional" languages from the huge African continent.


----------



## kaverison

I would like to add another word in Tamil for friend (from old Tamil literature):

Paangan (male), paangi (female)

I always wonder if any connection to mandarin's Pengyou. (I do this, as I do with some other Tamil words like nII (you), kaN - eye etc).


----------



## ThomasK

dihydrogen monoxide said:


> Slovene besides drug which is not used often has prijatelj and tovariš.


Just by the way: we have the word _vertroetelen _in Dutch, something like pampering, and the root is supposed to be related with this Slavic word...


----------



## Gavril

Gavril said:


> Western Armenian: wnkve (@nger),   baevkam (paregam)
> 
> I still don't know enough about Armenian to understand how these terms differ.



I see that at some point in the last seven years, the formatting was lost for the Armenian characters I typed in that post. So:

*ընկեր *(_ənker_ / _ənger_)
*բարեկամ *(_barekam_ / _paregam_)

The Western Armenian dictionary I now use explains ընկեր as meaning "fellow, companion, partner", whereas բարեկամ is simply translated as "friend".

*ընկեր *seems to be formed from ընդ- "for, with, etc." (cognate with Greek _antí _"against", etc.) and կեր "food": ընկեր would therefore have originally meant "someone who you eat with" or similar.

*բարեկամ *appears to be composed of բար- "good" and կամ- "will, wish": thus, բարեկամ is someone for whom you "wish good things", or who wishes good for you.


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## Ben Jamin

dihydrogen monoxide said:


> Slovene besides drug which is not used often has prijatelj and tovariš. However, tovariš was used during the socialism era as tovariši, which would respond to BCS drugovi, but nowadays you would call tovariš your teacher in primary school.
> BCS besides drug has prijatelj, kompa (Zagreb slang for friend), which is from companion and particular to Bosnian usage is jaran which is of Turkish origin.


Does "tovariš" mean "friend" in Slovene? In Polish it means "companion" and (now obsolete) "comrade", and in Russian "companion", "ally" or "colleague" and "comrade".

The origin of this word is a Turkic word "tavar" meaning "goods for sale". Merchants travelled often in groups in middle ages to defend themselves better agaisnt highwaymen, and "tovariš "came to mean "travelling fellow merchant".


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## dihydrogen monoxide

Ben Jamin said:


> Does "tovariš" mean "friend" in Slovene? In Polish it means "companion" and (now obsolete) "comrade", and in Russian "companion", "ally" or "colleague" and "comrade".
> 
> The origin of this word is a Turkic word "tavar" meaning "goods for sale". Merchants travelled often in groups in middle ages to defend themselves better agaisnt highwaymen, and "tovariš "came to mean "travelling fellow merchant".


 
Tovariš means colleague or comrade (I don't think anyone would use this word to address a friend), but it is an obsolete word in Slovene. Pupils up to 10 years of age would have used that word to address their teacher. Now it would be učitelj/učiteljica.


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## Abu Rashid

ancalimon said:


> Also in Turkish "sahip" somehow took the meaning of owner and in the past it waS the word a slave called his owner with.


Sahip is originally from Arabic sahib, and it can also mean owner, as in "sahib ud-dukan" the shop-owner or shopkeeper.


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## irinet

cajzl said:


> Slavic:
> 
> přítel (Czech)
> priateľ (Slovak)
> przyjaciel (Polish)
> prijatelj (Croatian)
> приятель (Russian)
> 
> are derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *prьja-ti* (by the suffix *-telь*)
> 
> derived from IE base **prei-* _to be fond of, hold dear (> friend)_, Sans. *priyá-* _dear, desired_
> 
> The Slavic words are related to the Germanic friend, Freund, etc.



Romanian has the Slavic 'prieten'. (1)
And 'amic/ă/i', coming from the Latin. (2)


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## kaverison

Tamil -

*natpu *= friendship.

*naNpan *- male friend
Root - *naL > naN* - get closer, to approach, to get attached to

*naNpi *is a modern coinage; for some reason you don't hear it in earlier literature.

There is also thoozhan for male friend, probably, only may be, from, thooL - shoulder;
*thoozhan *= male friend
*thoozhi, thoozhichi* = female friend
(oo as in Old)

*thoozhamai *= friendship

And then there is, *paangan  (M), paangi (F)*
probably from *panku *= part

These two were heavily used in old literature, almost never in modern. The context in which it was used makes these two people bigger than just a friend. A paangan may be the best man, an advisor, an associate of the hero, while paangi did the same to the heroine.

Now, I cannot stop thinking of similarity between our *paangan *and Chinese *pengyou*. Can someone explain etymology on this?

Sources: U. Chicago Tamil dictionary, Starling Database


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## CitizenEmpty

paulhersh said:


> *Chingu* (親舊) (Korean)



That's a Sino-Korean word. The native word would be *Beot* (벗). Its etymology is unknown just like +90% of native Korean words.


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## ahvalj

cajzl said:


> Slavic:
> 
> přítel (Czech)
> priateľ (Slovak)
> przyjaciel (Polish)
> prijatelj (Croatian)
> приятель (Russian)
> 
> are derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *prьja-ti* (by the suffix *-telь*)
> 
> derived from IE base **prei-* _to be fond of, hold dear (> friend)_, Sans. *priyá-* _dear, desired_
> 
> The Slavic words are related to the Germanic friend, Freund, etc.


Interestingly, Germanic has an almost 100% correspondence of this Slavic word: the Common Germanic *_frijōđelaz_, Norse _friðill_ "lover, gallant", Old Saxon _friuthil_ "loved one", Old High German _friudil_ "loved one" (_Orel VE · 2003 · A handbook of Germanic etymology:_ 114 — https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_7IkEzr9hyJcE9IMDBISXpsSUU). Both the Slavic and Germanic words come from the post-PIE *_priı̯ātel_- < PIE *_priı̯ehₓ-tel/r-_.

Not exactly the topic of this thread, but this word is the only instance I know of the PIE agentive *-_ter/l_- in Germanic. Most languages where this suffix is attested, have it in the form _-ter-_ (Latin -_tor_, Greek -_τηρ_ etc.), whereas Slavic and Anatolian show -_tel_- (in contrast to -_ter_- in the words for "mother" or "brother"), so Germanic may have had *_-tel-_ in the past as well.


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## apmoy70

apmoy70 said:


> In Greek:
> «Φίλος, φίλη, φίλο» ('filos, _m_, 'fili, _f_, 'filo _n_); from the classical «φίλος, φίλη, φίλον» ('pʰīlŏs, _m_/'pʰīlē, _f_/'pʰīlŏn, _n_) with the same meaning. Its etymology is unknown


Just wanted to expand a bit on this, for one school of thought the Gr word for friend, *«φίλος» pʰílŏs* > ByzGr *«φίλος» phílos* > MoGr *«φίλος»* [ˈfilos] is an ancient Anatolian loan => Lydian _bhilis_ (his, her) > Gr. _φίλος_ (with earliest meaning _one's own, my man_) (see Manfred Landfester's "Spudagmata" p. 40).
For others, the word is an _l_-derivative of the Classical reflexive *«σφεῖς» spʰeîs*, Aeol. Ion. Hom. *«σφί(ν)» spʰí(n)*, Dor. *«φίν» pʰín* --> _they, themselves_ < oldest forms *σ-φει/*σ-φι < _σ_-zero grade of PIE *se- _reflexive pron. οneself_ (see Paul Kretschmer's "Glotta: zeitschrift für griechische und lateinische sprache", p. 22).


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## Penyafort

In Catalan, as mentioned for other Romance languages, it's *amic *(male) [ə'mik], *amiga* (female) [ə'miɣə], from Latin AMÍCU/AMÍCA, derived from the root for 'love', AM-.

But the word for 'mate', *company *[kum'paɲ], has a more interesting etymology. It comes from Latin COMPANIO, formed out of CUM 'with' + PANIS 'bread', that is, _the person you share your bread with, a messmate_. Cognates in other Romance languages include French _*copain*_, Italian _*compagno*_, Portuguese *companheiro*, Spanish *compañero*, etc, as well as the English *companion*, taken from Old French _compagnon_.


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## ahvalj

Penyafort said:


> But the word for 'mate', *company *[kum'paɲ], has a more interesting etymology. It comes from Latin COMPANIO, formed out of CUM 'with' + PANIS 'bread', that is, _the person you share your bread with, a messmate_. Cognates in other Romance languages include French _*copain*_, Italian _*compagno*_, Portuguese *companheiro*, Spanish *compañero*, etc, as well as the English *companion*, taken from Old French _compagnon_.


This word has an exact counterpart in Germanic: the Gothic _gahlaiba_ (_ga_- "with", _hlaibs_ "bread") and the Old High German _gileibo_. Some scholars suggest that the Latin word is a calque from this Germanic form, spread from the speech of Germanic soldiers.


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## Shounak

Friend in Arabic is "sadiq"
 صديق

Friend in Persian is "dost"  
دوست


Companion in Persian is called "musahib" 
مصاحب

Again "companion" in Arabic is called "rafiq" 
رفيق

Now, whether you will consider companion or companionship as a friend, that is upto you.

Although "sohobat" means companion but not very clear in the actual meaning. I think sohobat is more on companionship.


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## franknagy

The Hungarian word meaning *friend *
*barát *
comes obviously from Slavish
*brat *
meaning *brother*.
The *barát* word has another meaning in Hungarian = *monk*, too.


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## Tuzki

The Bulgarian word for "friend" is *приятел.*

The word comes from Old Bulgarian *приıатель *which on it's way comes from the verb *приıати*, *приıѫ *meaning "I am behaving with good will". The whole word means "I am behaving nicely to that person".


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## francisgranada

dinji said:


> ...  Finnish _kaveri_ may be a borrowing from Yiddish _χawer_ (from Hebrew) or it may be a contamination of older _kamraati_ (<= Swedish _kamrat_ 'comrade') and _toveri_ (<= Russian _tavaritsh_) ...


In Hungarian we have *haver*, which is a colloquial/slang word for friend. According to my etymology diccionary both the Hung. _haver_ and Finn. _kaveri _come from the Yiddish_. _


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## franknagy

francisgranada said:


> In Hungarian we have *haver*, which is a colloquial/slang word for friend. According to my etymology diccionary both the Hung. _haver_ and Finn. _kaveri _come from the Yiddish_. _


Barát = is a real long-term friend. I can trust in him in trouble. I can speak with him the affairs of my private life.
Haver = is a person whom I go to the the pub, the football match. I do not really trust in him.


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## Ben Jamin

franknagy said:


> Barát = is a real long-term friend. I can trust in him in trouble. I can speak with him the affairs of my private life.
> Haver = is a person whom I go to the the pub, the football match. I do not really trust in him.


What a pity that you have such people to the spend your free time with. I wouldn't.


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## franknagy

Ben Jamin said:


> What a pity that you have such people to the spend your free time with. I wouldn't.



The worse is the* házibarát = home friend *the typical character of comedies. He is the person visits everyday - the *wife*.


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## luitzen

West Frisian: freon
Sater Frisian: Früünd
Bulgarian: приятел


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## Smeros

In Turkish, we say "arkadaş" or "dost". My friend, arkadaş*ım*. Or, dost*um*. 

Add to that, we use 'dost' as close friend.


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