Etymologically
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bipartisan

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 22:56. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌbaɪˈpɑː(ɹ).tɪ.zæn/[1]
  • US: /baɪˈpɑɹ.tə.sən/, /-zən/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English bi- (“two”) + partisan (“supporter of a party”).[2][3][4][5][6] The adjective partisan, "of a party", is from French partisan, from a dialectal Old Italian partisano, a variant of partigiano,[7] from parte (“part, party”), from Latin pars (“part”).[7][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Representing or made up of members of two political parties: 1891 in Merriam-Webster,[4] 1894 in Etymonline,[3] and 1895 in the Collegiate.[8] The OED's first record is only from 1909, in Webster's New International Dictionary,[2] and Dictionary.com dates the word 1905–10.[6]

Semantic evolution

The OED defines it broadly, of two parties "political or other",[2][5] but in use it is chiefly political, and the specific sense of agreement and cooperation between two major political parties is the one Merriam-Webster singles out.[4][8] The noun bipartisanship is recorded from 1950,[9] and Dictionary.com also lists bipartisanism.[6]

Timeline

  • 1891 – first known use, of two parties.[4]
  • 1894 – composed of members of two political parties.[3]
  • 1950 – bipartisanship.[9]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Made up of, representing or supported by members of two parties, especially two political parties: a bipartisan committee.[4][10][2][11]
  2. Marked by cooperation and compromise between two major political parties: The bill passed with bipartisan support.[4][8]

Word family

  • bipartisanism
  • bipartisanship

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  8. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  9. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  10. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  11. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin