Etymology

companionate

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Today it means: Designating a proposed type of marriage (or other partnership) in which the partners plan to have no children and take on no legal obligations to one another. Full definition →

First used 20th c.
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The story

From companion + -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 20th c. Designating a proposed type of marriage (or other partnership) in which the partners plan to have no children and take on no legal obligations to one another.
  • from 20th c. Friendly, companionable.
  • from 20th c. Pertaining to a (chiefly romantic) relationship that emphasises companionship and mutual respect.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.