How did the word, companion evolve? We attended a lecture last night in which the speaker mentioned the literal meaning of the word.

I've heard it explained as 'somebody you'd break bread with'. Seems a good enough compound for buddy to me. Another bread word is lord (fr. hlafweard lit. 'loaf-ward(en)'; cognate to Russian khleb 'bread').

Here's what OED says, Asa. Sounds as though zmj is correct.

"a. OF. compaignon, -pagnon = Pr. compagnó, It. compagnone:late L. compnin-em, acc. of compnio, whence It. compagno, Pr. nom. companh, OF. nom. compain, -paing, -painz. The late L. word is a deriv. of com- together + pn-is bread (the formation as in L. centrio, libellio, etc.); perh., as Diez thinks, after the pattern of Goth. gahlaiba, OHG. galeipo mess-mate, similarly f. hlaib, leip, bread. The pl. conpnines, and n. of state conpnium ‘company’ (cf. L. contubernium, convvium, etc.), occur in the Salic Law lxiii. §1. in a MS. of c 800; in Romanic conpagn (voc.) occurs in a gloss. of c 825: see Diez."

It also said, " Besides these OF. had compaigne (f.) company, compaigne, compaignesse (f.) female companion, compaignet, -ette, dim., compaignier (m.) companion, and many derivatives." Interesting that the French must have a word for "female companion."