It’s becoming more and more popular for people in relationships to refer to each other as “my partner” instead of calling each other boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, or husband. But exactly what is a partner in a relationship, and what’s the difference between calling someone partner vs. terms like boyfriend, significant other, or spouse?

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Partner is simply a way of describing someone you’re romantically or sexually involved with. It doesn’t necessarily indicate any particular level of seriousness or commitment, although some people do tend to associate the word with a more committed relationship.

The word partner is not new. According to Jen Doll’s reporting in the Atlantic, the term arose around the 14th century to connote a more equal relationship between a married man and woman, in comparison to the gendered marriage terms husband and wife that’d been used since the 11th and ninth centuries respectively. (more…)