A companion or friend, especially one who shares activities or beliefs; often used for fellow soldiers or political allies.
From Spanish 'camarada' meaning 'roommate' or 'chamber-mate,' which came from Latin 'camera' meaning room or chamber. Originally, it simply referred to soldiers who shared the same sleeping quarters. The word traveled from Spanish military slang to French, then English, gradually expanding from 'bunkmate' to 'fellow soldier' to any close companion or ally.
Before it became associated with communist revolutionaries, 'comrade' just meant the guy you had to share a room with in the army barracks! The transition from 'annoying roommate' to 'brother-in-arms' to 'fellow revolutionary' shows how military camaraderie shaped one of history's most politically charged words.
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