What does accompanying mean?
Accompanying is an adjective used to describe something that exists, occurs, or is provided together with something else, typically in a supporting or supplementary role. It appears most often before a noun: accompanying documents, accompanying illustrations, accompanying symptoms, or accompanying risks. The word signals that two things travel together — one primary and one secondary — without implying equality between them; the accompanying item usually serves, explains, or qualifies the main one. It derives from the verb accompany, which itself comes from the Old French acompaignier, rooted in the late Latin companio, meaning 'one who shares bread' — the same root that gives us companion and company. Because it is concise and precise, accompanying is a staple of formal and technical writing, where it neatly links supporting material to the main subject at hand.
adjectivePresent as a companion or supplement to something else; existing or occurring together with and in support of another thing.
- Going along with or present alongside something else, often in a supporting or supplementary role (e.g., accompanying documents, accompanying symptoms).
"The accompanying booklet explains how to assemble the furniture."
"Please fill out the form and return it with the accompanying fee."
"The storm brought heavy rain and accompanying high winds."
Accompanying traces back to the Latin for 'with bread' — a companion was literally someone you shared your loaf with.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of accompanying
Accompanying is the participial form of the verb accompany, which entered English in the fifteenth century from Old French acompaignier. The French verb derived from the Late Latin companio ('one who shares bread'), formed from com- ('with') and panis ('bread'). This same root produced English companion and company, making all three words etymological siblings.
Related word forms
How accompanying is actually used
Accompanying functions almost exclusively as an attributive adjective before a noun; it carries a neutral register suitable for both formal writing (reports, legal documents) and everyday prose.
Easily confused with accompanying
Accompaniment is a noun naming the thing that accompanies (e.g., music played alongside a melody), while accompanying is an adjective describing something that goes along with something else.