1 definition by Pterippus
A noun describing another that one desires to associate with, ideally without entangling one's material assets with said other. Accordingly, companions ideally have no perceived need to associate with each other. Companionship can be considered as a Pure relationship because it is unforced by contemporary conditions (needs). Ideally, each companion has their own place of residence and/or clearly defined boundaries within the same residence, allowing for independence (i.e. they can each (dis)associate with each other as they mutually want). Companionship can be contrasted with both plutonic love/conventional friendship and marriage/engagement/dating, as each often incorporates elements where the relationship is expected and accepted to exist at least partially due to perceived need (e.g. where one friend turns to another for advice on how to get through a financial hardship; where a husband and wife believe they need each other for financial or emotional support). Companionship may or may not be romantic/sexual in nature. The term may, for example, be used to formally describe modern romantic relationships whose participants have not registered their marriage with government (thus avoiding legal entanglement of personhood) and/or those whose participants do not share material resource such as joint bank accounts and jointly owned/mortgaged houses.
by Pterippus February 5, 2019