'colleague' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'collega,' where 'col-' meant 'together' and 'legare' meant 'to choose or appoint.'

'collega' transformed into the French word 'collègue,' and eventually became the modern English word 'colleague' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'a person chosen together with another,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.