Dictionary Definition
company
Noun
1 an institution created to conduct business; "he
only invests in large well-established companies"; "he started the
company in his garage"
2 organization of performers and associated
personnel (especially theatrical); "the traveling company all
stayed at the same hotel" [syn: troupe]
3 the state of being with someone; "he missed
their company"; "he enjoyed the society of his friends" [syn:
companionship,
fellowship, society]
4 small military unit; usually two or three
platoons
5 a band of people associated temporarily in some
activity; "they organized a party to search for food"; "the company
of cooks walked into the kitchen" [syn: party]
6 a social gathering of guests or companions;
"the house was filled with company when I arrived"
7 a social or business visitor; "the room was a
mess because he hadn't expected company" [syn: caller]
8 a unit of firefighters including their
equipment; "a hook-and-ladder company"
9 crew of a ship including the officers; the
whole force or personnel of a ship [syn: ship's
company] v : be a companion to somebody [syn: companion, accompany, keep
company]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Pronunciation
- /"kVmp@ni/
- /'kʌmpəni/
Etymology
- compaignie (French: compagnie), from companio it is "the person you share your bread"
Noun
- A group of individuals with a common purpose, as in a company of actors.
- In legal context, an entity that manufactures or sells products (also known as goods), or provides services as a commercial venture. A corporation.
- In non-legal context, any business, without respect to incorporation.
- Social visitors.
- Keep the house clean, I have company coming.
- companionship
- I treasure your company.
- A military unit, typically consisting of two or three platoons.
- The Boys in Company C.
- A unit of firefighters and their
equipment.
- It took six companies to put out the fire.
- The entire crew of a ship.
- Nickname for an intelligence service.
- As he had worked for the CIA for over 30 years, he would soon take retirement from the company.
Translations
in legal context, a corporation
- Czech: společnost
- Dutch: bedrijf, zaak, firma
- Finnish: yhtiö
- French: société, entreprise, firme, compagnie
- German: Gesellschaft, Firma, Unternehmen
- Greek: εταιρία
- Hebrew: חברה (khevra)
- Interlingua: compania
- Japanese: 会社 (かいしゃ, kaisha)
- Korean: 회사 (hwesa)
- Kurdish: şirket, pargîdanî, fîrma, kompanya, şirîke
- Polish: kompania , firma , przedsiębiorstwo
- Portuguese: companhia
- Russian: компания, фирма, общество, товарищество
- Spanish: empresa
- Turkish: işletme
- Ukrainian: товариство (towarystwo) , діло (dilo)
in non-legal context, any business, without
respect to incorporation
group of individuals with a common purpose
- Dutch: gezelschap
- Finnish: ryhmä
- French: compagnie
- German: Gesellschaft
- Greek: συντροφιά
- Interlingua: compania
- Portuguese: companhia
- Russian: общество (óbš'estvo) , товарищество (továriš'estvo)
- Spanish: compania
- Ukrainian: товариство (towarystwo)
social visitors
companionship
- Dutch: gezelschap
- Finnish: kumppanuus
- French: compagnie
- German: Gesellschaft
- Greek: συντροφικότητα, παρέα, φιλία
- Interlingua: compania
- Irish: cumann
- Japanese: 仲間 (なかま, nakama)
- Portuguese: companhia
- Russian: компания, общество
- Ukrainian: товариство (towarystwo)
military unit
unit of firefighters and their equipment
- ttbc Esperanto: entrepreno
- ttbc Indonesian: perusahaan
Extensive Definition
Generally, a company is a form of business
organization. The precise definition varies.
In the United
States, a company is "a corporation—or, less
commonly, an association, partnership, or union—that
carries on a commercial or industrial enterprise." Generally, a
company may be a "corporation, partnership, association, joint-stock
company, trust,
fund,
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."
History
According to one source, "it may be formed by Act of Parliament, by Royal Charter, or by registration under company law (referred to as a limited liability or joint-stock company)."In North America, two of the earliest companies
were The London
Company (also called the Charter of the Virginia Company of
London)—an English joint
stock company established by royal charter by James
I of England on April 10,
1606 with the
purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North
America—and Plymouth
Company that was granted an identical charter as part of the
Virginia
Company. The London Company was responsible for establishing
the Jamestown
Settlement, the first permanent English settlement in the
present United States in 1607, and in the process of sending
additional supplies, inadvertently settled the Somers Isles, alias
Bermuda,
the oldest-remaining English colony, in 1609.
Types
- For a country-by-country listing, see Types of business entity.
There are various types of company that can be
formed in different jurisdictions, but the most common forms of
company (generally formed by registration under applicable
companies legislation) are:
- A company limited by shares. The most common form of company used for business ventures. Specifically, a limited company is a "company in which the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount individually invested" with corporations being "the most common example of a limited company."
- An unlimited liability company. A company where the liability of members for the debts of the company are unlimited. Today these are only seen in rare and unusual circumstances.
Less commonly seen types of companies are:
- charter corporations. Before the passing of modern companies legislation, these were the only types of companies. Now they are relatively rare, except for very old companies that still survive (of which there are still many, particularly many British banks), or modern societies that fulfil a quasi regulatory function (for example, the Bank of England is a corporation formed by a modern charter).
- Statutory Companies. Relatively rare today, certain companies have been formed by a private statute passed in the relevant jurisdiction.
- Companies formed by letters patent. Most corporations by letters patent are corporations sole and not companies as the term is commonly understood today.
Note that "Ltd after the company's name signifies
limited, and PLC (public limited company) indicates that its shares
are widely held."
In legal parlance, the owners of a company are
normally referred to as the "members". In a company limited by
shares, this will be the shareholders. In a company
limited by guarantee, this will be the guarantors. Some offshore
jurisdictions have created special forms of offshore
company in a bid to attract business for their jurisdictions.
Examples include "segregated
portfolio companies" and restricted purpose companies.
There are however, many, many sub-categories of
types of company that can be formed in various jurisdictions in the
world.
Companies are also sometimes distinguished for
legal and regulatory purposes between public
companies and private
companies. Public companies are companies whose shares can be
publicly traded, often (although not always) on a regulated
stock
exchange. Private companies do not have publicly traded shares,
and often contain restrictions on transfers of shares. In some
jurisdictions, private companies have maximum numbers of
shareholders.
See also
References
External links
Further reading
- Dignam, A and Lowry, J (2006) Company Law, Oxford University Press ISBN-13: 978-0-19-928936-3.
- John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, The Company: a Short History of a Revolutionary Idea (New York: Modern Library, 2003)
company in Bulgarian: Компания
company in Bosnian: Kompanija
company in Danish: Virksomhed
company in German: Kompanie (Unternehmen)
company in Modern Greek (1453-): Εταιρία
company in Spanish: Empresa comercial
company in Finnish: Yritys
company in French: Entreprise
company in Hebrew: חברה (תאגיד)
company in Croatian: Poduzeće
company in Italian: Azienda
company in Japanese: 企業
company in Latvian: Uzņēmums
company in Dutch: Vennootschap
company in Polish: Spółka
company in Russian: Компания
company in Serbian: Предузеће
company in Swedish: Företag
company in Turkish: Şirket
company in Vietnamese: Công ty
company in Chinese: 公司
company in Ukrainian: Господарське
товариство
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Aktiengesellschaft,
KP, ace, acting company, actors, affiliation, age group,
agency, aggregation, aktiebolag, amigo, army, army group, assemblage, assembly, associate, associates, association, atelier, attend, attendance, band, barbershop, battalion, battery, battle group, bear, beauty parlor, beauty shop,
bedfellow, bedmate, bench, bevy, body, body corporate, bosom buddy,
brigade, bring, buddy, bunch, bunkie, bunkmate, business, business
establishment, butcher shop, butty, cabal, cadre, caller, camarade, camaraderie, carry, cartel, cast, cast of characters, chamber
of commerce, chamberfellow, chaperon, characters, chorus, chum, circle, circus troupe, classmate, clique, club, cohort, colleague, collection, column, comate, combat command, combat
team, combine,
commercial enterprise, community, compagnie, companion, companions, companionship, compeer, complement, comrade, comrades, comradeship, concern, conduct, confrere, conglomerate, conglomerate
corporation, congregation, consociate, consociation, consolidating
company, consort,
consort with, consortium, consortship, contingent, convention, convoy, cooperation, copartner, copartnership, corporate
body, corporation,
corps, corps de ballet,
coterie, covey, crew, crony, crowd, desk, detachment, detail, diversified corporation,
division, dramatis
personae, eight, eleven, ensemble, enterprise, entourage, establishment, facility, faction, fellow, fellow student, fellowship, field army, field
train, file, firm, first string, first team,
five, fleet, flock, flying column, followers, following, fraternity, fraternization, freeloader, frequenter, friends, gang, garrison, gate-crasher,
gathering, girl
friend, gossip, group, grouping, groupment, guest, guests, habitue, holding company,
horde, house, in-group, industry, installation, institution, joint-stock
association, joint-stock company, junta, kitchen police, legion, loft, maniple, mate, membership, messmate, mob, moocher, movement, muster, nine, old crony, operating company,
order, organization, out-group,
outfit, pack, pal, pard, pardner, parlor, partaking, participation, partner, partnership, party, peer group, phalanx, platoon, playfellow, playmate, plunderbund, pool, posse, presence, proprietorship, public
utility, rank, regiment, repertory company,
reserves, retinue, roommate, rowing crew, ruck, salon, schoolfellow, schoolmate, second string,
second team, section,
set, sharing, shipmate, shop, side partner, sidekick, society, squad, squadron, stable, stock company, string, studio, suite, supporting cast, sweatshop, syndicate, tactical unit, task
force, team, teammate, third string,
throng, trade
association, train,
tribe, troop, troupe, trust, uninvited guest, unit, utility, varsity, visitant, visitor, visitors, wing, work site, work space,
workbench, workfellow, workhouse, working space,
workplace, workroom, workshop, worktable, yokefellow, yokemate