Etymologically
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impartial

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Pronunciation

  • /ɪmˈpɑɹ.ʃəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English im- + partial, with the form of the negative prefix in- used before m.[2][3][4][5][6] Partial is from Old French parcial, from Late Latin partiālis, from pars (“part”).[7][8] In French, impartial is recorded only from 1732.[3] Johnson (1755) derived the English word from French.[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not favouring one side more than another; fair: in Shakespeare's Richard II, dated 1593 by Barnhart and 1597 by the OED.[2][3] Merriam-Webster dates its first use to 1587,[5] and Etymonline places the word in the 1590s.[4]

Semantic evolution

The sense "fair, unbiased" has been the main one from the start.[3][6] Shakespeare also used it once in Romeo and Juliet (1597) for the opposite, partial, a use the OED marks as a misuse.[3] A rare sense "not fragmentary, complete" is recorded only in the early 18th century.[3] Johnson (1755) defined it as equitable and disinterested, used of actions as well as people.[9]

Timeline

  • 1587 – first known use, according to Merriam-Webster.[5]
  • 1593 – in Shakespeare's Richard II (dated 1597 by the OED).[2][3]
  • before 1716 – complete, entire (rare, obsolete).[3]
  • 1732 – French impartial.[3]
  • 1755 – Johnson: equitable, disinterested.[9]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not favouring one person or side more than another; fair and unbiased: The referee tried to stay impartial throughout the match.[5][10][3]

Word family

  • impartiality
  • impartially
  • pseudoimpartial
  • unimpartial

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  8. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  9. ^ a b c Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  10. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins