Present participle of partner; collaborating or working together with another person or organization.
From Old French 'parcener' meaning 'joint heir', ultimately from Latin 'partitionem' (division). The word evolved from legal terminology about shared inheritance to business partnerships and then to any collaborative relationship.
The concept of partnership originally had nothing to do with business - it was about dividing inheritance among heirs, which is why we still talk about 'partners' sharing both profits and losses. The dance meaning of partnering beautifully captures the original sense of moving together in harmony while maintaining individual roles.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.