Thoughts on words, part 2
Partner - man, do I dislike that word! At least when it means life partner. To me the association (that just won't go away) is work relationship and that's probably what makes me cringe, because I've never had good experiences with work. Call it life partner and I'm feeling instantly better about it. Even betterer is the one that I usually use: significant other. And the best term on this scale is "life companion", it sort of makes me feel as if hearts are bubbling out of me.