Etymologically
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partie

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:03. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /paʁ.ti/[1]

Forms

partie f (plural parties)[1]

Etymology

It is the feminine past participle, used as a noun, of Old French partir (“to divide, share”), the old sense of partir.[2][3][4][5][1] “Partir” is inherited from Late Latin “partīre”, classical Latin partior (“to share, divide”).[4] The French noun was used to translate Latin pars (“part”) in its senses of an actor's role, the sexual parts, and a party in law.[2][3]

Compare Occitan partida, Spanish partida and Italian partita.[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Philippe de Thaon's Comput (1119), meaning an element of a whole (la primiere partie of the signs of the zodiac), and of a part of the body.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In Old French it named a territory, and les quatre parties del mund were the four cardinal points (about 1170); Brunetto Latini divides the earth into three parties, Asia, Africa and Europe (about 1265).[2][3] En partie “partly” dates from about 1220.[2] Parties honteuses (15th century), parties naturelles (1559) and simply les parties (1651) named the genitals.[2][3]

In law partie is a party to a suit (1248, averse partie), with partie civile (1549); prendre à partie “to take to task” is in Cotgrave (1611).[2] About 1160 it meant a faction or side, later a common undertaking, whence partie liée (1682).[2] An actor's or singer's part is recorded in 1520, and a game or match in 1589 (a letter of Henri de Navarre), whence partie de cartes; a party of pleasure, faire partie, is Molière's (1661), and partie fine dates from 1786.[2] In bookkeeping partie double “double entry” is from 1673.[2]

Timeline

  • 1119 – “Part”, in Philippe de Thaon.[2]
  • c. 1160 – “Faction, side”.[2]
  • c. 1220 – En partie.[2]
  • 1248 – A party in a lawsuit.[2]
  • 1520 – An actor's part.[2]
  • 1589 – A game, in a letter of Henri de Navarre.[2]
  • 1611 – Prendre à partie, in Cotgrave.[2]
  • 1661 – Faire partie, in Molière.[2]
  • 1673 – Partie double in bookkeeping.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A part, portion: une partie du gâteau, en partie: partly, faire partie de: to belong to.[1][2]
  2. A game, match: une partie de cartes.[1][2]
  3. An outing, party of pleasure: partie de pêche, partie fine.[2]
  4. (law) A party: partie civile, prendre à partie: to take to task.[1][2]
  5. Field, line: il est de la partie.[2]
  6. (music) A part.[2]
  7. (mathematics) A subset.[1]
  8. Les parties: the private parts (familiar).[2]

Word family

  • contrepartie

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter