company

The word company has its origins in the Old French term compagnie, meaning a "society, friendship, intimacy; body of soldiers", which came from the Late Latin word companio ("one who eats bread with you"), first attested in the Lex Salica [萨利克法] as a calque [仿造词] of the Germanic expression gahlaibo ("with bread"), related to Old High German galeipo ("companion") and to Gothic gahlaiba ("messmate" [同食者]).

A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared goals. Companies take various forms, such as:

• voluntary associations, which may include nonprofit organizations
• business entities, whose aim is generating profit
• financial entities and banks
• programs or educational institutions.

A company can be created as a legal person so that the company itself has limited liability as members perform or fail to discharge their duty according to the publicly declared incorporation, or published policy. When a company closes, it may need to be liquidated to avoid further legal obligations.

Companies may associate and collectively register themselves as new companies; the resulting entities are often known as corporate groups.

In the United States, a company may be a "corporation, partnership, association, joint-stock company, trust [信托], fund [基金], or organized group of persons, whether incorporated or not, and (in an official capacity) any receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, or similar official, or liquidating agent, for any of the foregoing". In the US, a company is not necessarily a corporation.

A corporation is a separate legal entity from its owners. Difference Between Corporation and Company 

Company may also refer to:

• Company [连] (military unit), a group of soldiers. The modern-day U.S. Army company has 250 to 300 soldiers in it. This number does not include the company's officer. The company is divided into three platoons, each led by a non-commissioned officer.
• Opera company, an instituted company that performs operas
• Theatre company, of touring actors, singers and/or dancers

company还可能意为other people:

• We've got company. 有人来了。
• Phoebe is good company (=a cheerful person who is enjoyable to be with).
• Come over for dinner, I could use the company (=would like to be with people).
• Her husband is away for the week, so I thought I'd go over and keep her company (=be with her so that she doesn't feel lonely).
• The two women enjoy each other's company.

六级/考研单词: intimate, companion, abbreviation, illicit, entity, unite, volunteer, liable, discharge, accord, farther, seldom, bankrupt, militant, opera, supper, lonely