Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A fellow member of a profession, staff, or academic faculty; an associate. synonym: partner.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An associate in office, professional employment, or special labor, as in a commission: not properly used of partners in business.
  • To coöperate in the same office, or for a common end; combine.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • verb rare To unite or associate with another or with others.
  • noun A partner or associate in some civil or ecclesiastical office or employment. It is never used of partners in trade or manufactures.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate
  • verb To unite or associate with another or with others.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an associate that one works with
  • noun a person who is member of one's class or profession

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French collègue, from Latin collēga : com-, com- + lēgāre, to depute; see leg- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French collegue, from Latin collega ("a partner in office"), from com- ("with") + legare ("to send on an embassy"), from lex ("law").

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Examples

  • Wife of one of my colleague is also scientist, still works as head of the lab, and has a baby.

    USA Darwi 2009

  • Not with the colleague from the party, but another person.

    Excerpt: Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem 2009

  • You urged folks to 'take a bat out' on me, and then you called my colleague, Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle, a jerk.'

    Caren Z. Turner: Bully and the Bully Pulpit Caren Z. Turner 2011

  • You urged folks to 'take a bat out' on me, and then you called my colleague, Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle, a jerk.'

    Caren Z. Turner: Bully and the Bully Pulpit Caren Z. Turner 2011

  • You urged folks to 'take a bat out' on me, and then you called my colleague, Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle, a jerk.'

    Caren Z. Turner: Bully and the Bully Pulpit Caren Z. Turner 2011

  • So, I would say your colleague is full of crap and a poseur in violation of the Stolen Valor Act if he is in possession of those medals and is claiming them as his own.

    Heroes or Villains? 2010

  • Or talk to a friend or colleague from the region to gain other insights.

    Matthew Yglesias » Critique of Pure Yglesias 2010

  • I'm pretty sure our esteemed colleague from the NPCA would have been instantly transformed into a mumbling idiot.

    Judge Blocks Guns-In-Parks Rule 2009

  • Today I learned that a most amusing and talented colleague is about to leave Nature for a Great Adventure: walking the Appalachian Trail - and blogging about it en route.

    Miscellaneous Maxine 2009

  • I'm pretty sure our esteemed colleague from the NPCA would have been instantly transformed into a mumbling idiot.

    Judge Blocks Guns-In-Parks Rule 2009

Comments

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