impart

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English imparten, also emparten,^[2] borrowed from Old French impartir, also empartir,^{[3][4][2][5][6]} from Latin impartiō (“to share with, communicate, bestow”), usually impertiō in classical Latin.^[3][4][7][5] Barnhart and Merriam-Webster take the French source as Middle French.^[7][8] The Latin verb is formed from in- (“in”) and partiō (“to divide, share”),^[5][3][7] from pars (“part, share”),^[5][4][6] which Etymonline traces to Proto-Indo-European *pere- (“to grant, allot”).^[4] The Anglo-Norman verb is recorded from the mid-12th century in the senses to distribute, share out and divide.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

To give a part of one's possessions, to contribute, or to share with someone: Barnhart dates the word probably before 1430,^[7] and the MED quotes it from a text by Scrope from before 1475.^[2] The OED's first record is from 1471, in the Arrival of Edward IV, in the sense to take part in.^[3]

Semantic evolution

At first the word was used of material things, a share of goods or possessions,^[4][2] as in Caxton's History of Jason (1477).^[3] From the 1540s it also meant to make known or tell,^[4][3] and in the 16th century to distribute among a number of people (1545–1602) and to have a share of (1581–1641).^[3] Johnson (1755) gave the senses "to grant; to give" and "to communicate".^[10] The word is now used almost only of qualities and other immaterial things,^[4][3] and the sense "make known" is archaic or merged with the general one.^[3]

Timeline

• before 1430 – to give a part of one's possessions (probable date).^[7][4]
• 1471 – to share, take part in (obsolete by 1615).^[3]
• 1477 – to give a share of, bestow, communicate.^[3]
• before 1547 – to make known, tell.^[3][4]
• 1545 – to distribute among several people (obsolete by 1602).^[3]
• 1625 – reflexive, to make one's mind known (obsolete by 1703).^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To give or bestow, especially a quality: The bay leaves imparted a mild bitterness to the broth.^[11][8][3]
2. To make known; to communicate information or knowledge: The guide imparted a few local secrets to the tourists.^[11][8][3]

Word family

• impartation
• impartment
• impartable
• imparter
• impartible
• unimparted

Related words

• part
• partition
• impartial
• apart

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
6. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
7. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
8. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
9. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
10. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
11. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins