# part

Pronunciation: US say "PART" /pɑɹt/; UK say "PAHT" /pɑːt/

## Noun

1. Any of the separate elements that go to make up a larger whole.
   - Simple: One of the pieces that something is made of.
   - _Every part of the engine was cleaned._
   - _Spare parts take a week to arrive._
2. A section of land; an area or region of a country or territory.
   - Simple: A region or area within a country.
   - _The northern part of the country is mountainous._
   - _She had traveled in distant parts._
3. The character an actor plays, or more generally the role or position someone has in an activity or situation.
   - Simple: A role in a play, or your role in a situation.
   - _He forgot his part in the second act._
   - _The parts were cast in June._
4. A section of a book, report, or other document.
   - Simple: One of the sections that a book or document is split into.
   - _The novel's last part is set in Paris._
   - _The second part of the report deals with the company's growing debts._
6. Duty or responsibility; what someone is expected to do.
   - Simple: What you are expected to do, or your duty.
   - _Her part was to keep the accounts._
   - _All three did their part, and the plan worked._
7. A portion that is less than the whole of something, whether an amount, a stretch of time, a group, or a problem.
   - Simple: Some of something, but not all of it.
   - _Part of the crowd left before the encore to beat the traffic._
   - _Rising rents explain part of the problem, but stagnant wages matter just as much._
8. A share, especially of a profit.
   - Simple: A share of something, especially of money.
   - _She gave her part of the prize to charity._
   - _When the business was sold, each founder received a part of the profits that matched what they had invested._
12. One of a set of equal measures used to express the proportions of ingredients in a mixture.
   - Simple: An amount in a mixture, measured against the amounts of the other things in it.
   - _Add one part cement to four of sand._
   - _A basic mortar can be made with one part cement to three parts sand._
13. The line on the scalp where the hair is divided by combing it to either side. *(US)*
   - Simple: The line where hair is combed in two directions.
   - _A center part suits a round face._
   - _He has worn his hair with a side part since he was a boy._
14. In music, the line played or sung by a particular instrument, voice or group in a piece for several performers.
   - Simple: In music, the notes that one instrument, singer or group plays or sings in a piece.
   - _The second violins struggled with their part, which was full of fast, tricky runs._
   - _The choir sang a fugue in four parts, one for each group of voices._
17. A euphemistic term for the genitals. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A polite word for the sexual organs.
   - _The small towel barely covered his parts as he dashed back to the locker room._
   - _A kick to his parts left him doubled over on the grass._
18. Either of two contrasting sides of an argument or dispute.
   - Simple: One side in an argument or quarrel.
   - _Nobody took the stranger's part._
   - _Whenever my parents argued, my sister always took Dad's part, no matter who was right._
19. A quality, faculty, or talent of character or capacity, usually plural with a collective sense.
   - Simple: A skill or talent a person has, usually used in the plural.
   - _A writer of many parts, he also composed music and designed his own book covers._
   - _Even as a young lawyer she was a woman of parts, quick in argument and patient with difficult clients._

## Adverb

5. To some extent, but not wholly or completely.
   - Simple: To a degree, but not fully or all the way.
   - _The crowd was part angry, part amused._
   - _Part-baked bread needs only ten minutes in a hot oven._

## Verb

9. To divide or separate into parts, or to move apart, as of things or people.
   - Simple: To split or move apart, or to make things or people separate, as in 'the clouds parted'.
   - _The heavy stage curtains slowly parted, and the audience fell silent._
   - _The referee stepped in to part the two players before the shoving match got worse._
10. To leave someone's company or go away from a place; to separate and say goodbye.
   - Simple: To leave someone or somewhere and go different ways.
   - _After four years as roommates, we parted on good terms and still write to each other._
   - _We hugged at the gate, neither of us ready to part after such a long visit._
11. To give up or let go of something one would prefer to keep, followed by with.
   - Simple: To give up or give away something you would like to keep (always said as part with).
   - _Serious collectors rarely part with their best pieces, even for a high price._
   - _She was reluctant to part with the letters her father had written her during the war._
16. To comb or cut hair so that it divides along a line.
   - Simple: To comb hair two ways so that a line runs between them.
   - _The barber parted it with a single stroke._
   - _Don't part it so far over, it looks odd._

## Adjective

15. Fractional or partial, rather than full.
   - Simple: Being only some of something, not all of it.
   - _Her uncle is part owner of a small fishing boat, so she spent her summers working on the water._
   - _The company offered him part ownership of the business instead of a higher salary._

## Noun

20. In mathematics, a factor; a number that divides another exactly. *(dated)*
   - Simple: In maths, a number that divides another number exactly, with nothing left over.

## Verb

21. To divide something up and share it out. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To split something into pieces and give them out.
22. To have a share in something; to partake. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To get or take a share of something.

## Other meanings

- (verb) To isolate one substance from another by extracting, eliminating, or secreting it.
- (verb) To leave an IRC chat channel.
- (noun) In a public building, a separate room, especially one serving as a courtroom.
- (noun) A tiny measure of time used in reckoning the Jewish calendar, one 1,080th of an hour.
- (verb) To keep people or things separated, or to come between them.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–4, 6–8, 12–14, 17–20** — From Middle English part, from both Old English part and Old French part, both from Latin partem, the accusative of pars ("piece, portion, share, role, part"), possibly from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to sell, exchange." It is often linked with Latin portiō ("a portion") and parāre ("to prepare"), though both connections are disputed.
**Meanings 9–11, 16, 21–22** — From Middle English parten, from Old French partir.
**Meanings 5, 15** — From Middle English part, derived from the noun.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/part (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).