collega

Collega is an Italian noun meaning a person who works with someone in the same organization or profession. It denotes a peer within a workplace or field, regardless of rank, and is used across many contexts—from business to academia, journalism, medicine, and public service. The term is gendered: il collega (masculine) and la collega (feminine). The plural forms are i colleghi (masc. or mixed-gender groups) and le colleghe (feminine).

Etymology: Collega derives from Latin collega, formed from col- “together” and ligare “to bind,” indicating a person bound to others by professional ties. The sense of “partner” or “associate” remains central in modern Italian usage.

Usage: Collega is a neutral, widely used term in both formal and informal speech. It can be combined with qualifiers to specify the context, such as collega di lavoro, collega universitario, or collega di reparto. It can also function as a direct form of address: Buongiorno, collega.

Notes: In Italian, gendered forms matter for agreement in sentences and writing. The word emphasizes a professional relationship rather than friendship, and it is commonly used across sectors, including business, academia, media, and public administration. Translations into English include colleague or co-worker; related terms exist in other languages (for example, colega in Spanish and Portuguese, collègue in French).