The term comrade is used to mean 'mate', 'colleague', or 'ally', and derives from the Spanish term camarada, literally meaning 'chamber mate', from Latin camera, meaning 'chamber' or 'room'. Political use of the term was inspired by the French Revolution, after which it grew into a form of address between socialists and workers. Since the Bolshevik Revolution, popular culture in the Western world has often associated it with communism. However, the term comrade is improperly attributed to Russian speakers, since Russians do not say comrade, but rather tovarisch (това́рищ).
