compatriot
UK[kəmˈpæt.ri.ət]US[kəmˈpeɪ.tri.ət]
n
a person who comes from the same country
Morpheme Breakdown
com
patri
ot
com
together
patri
fatherland
ot
person
Etymology
The word 'compatriot' is a direct borrowing from the French 'compatriote', which itself was formed from the Late Latin 'compatriota'. This Latin term is a compound of the prefix 'com-' meaning "together" and 'patriota' meaning "fellow countryman". The core element 'patriota' derives from the Greek 'patriōtēs', which is based on 'patrios' meaning "of one's fathers", ultimately from 'patēr' meaning "father". Thus, the literal meaning "together-fatherland-person" elegantly captures the concept of individuals sharing a common national origin or homeland.
Analysis
Structure: com (together) + patri (fatherland) + ot (person)
com: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "together, with".
patri: Latin origin, from 'patria' meaning "fatherland, native country".
ot: French/Latin origin, a suffix forming agent nouns, meaning "person associated with".
Examples
She was welcomed as a compatriot by the local expatriate community.
The two athletes, though rivals on the track, embraced as compatriots after the race.
He felt a strong sense of duty to help his compatriots during the crisis.