this post was submitted on 07 Apr 2026
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Science Memes

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[–] lime@feddit.nu 14 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] Limerance@piefed.social 31 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] CombatWombat@feddit.online 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

If the "pa" part of "companion" comes from path it's basically exactly the same: "s" and "co" are both "with" and "nik" and "ion" are similar noun endings.

[–] balsoft@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago

If the “pa” part of “companion” comes from path

It doesn't though, it comes from French compagnon/compaignon and then Latin com (with) + panis (bread). It probably originally meant "someone with whom you share bread (eat together)".

And actually, looking at wiktionary, Old English had a word "ġefēra" (with the same meaning) which is constructed very similarly to "спутник": ge ('with', still the same prefix in german e.g. ‎Gebrüder) + fera ('to go'/'to fare', e.g. in seafaring)

[–] WhyIHateTheInternet@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] CombatWombat@feddit.online 8 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I might translate it that way in some contexts, but if you told me Lewis and Clark were "sputniks" I'd assume you meant they got married in secret, rather than that they were explorers.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Especially now that I found out it involves a bacon cheese sausage somehow

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It's strange they called it a 'companion' of any sort since it was the sole first satellite in space

[–] RustySharp@programming.dev 8 points 3 weeks ago

As in, a companion to the planet.

Moons are satellites.

Satellite: from Latin satellitem (nominative satelles) "an attendant" upon a distinguished person; "a body-guard, a courtier; an assistant"