What does partnership mean?

Having partners in business is very important to keep your morale up and to get the information you need to run your business.  What exactly does it mean to have partners?  Strictly speaking, we enter into partnerships by agreement, either verbal or written.  You can buy books about partnerships or scan the Internet for sample partnership agreements.  One thing I've discovered is that you can benefit by having partners that supply you with the information that you need without having any of the responsibilities or obligations of partnership.  These relationships need to be cultivated and can be very useful.  How they happen is somewhat of a mystery to me but when the happen they are very helpful.