Etymologically
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pars

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈpars][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈpars][1]

Forms

pars f (genitive partis); third declension[1] An old accusative partim survives as an adverb, and an old genitive partus occurs in an inscription.[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *parti- (“part”).[3][1] Its further origin is debated: Schrijver, followed by de Vaan, takes it as a late Italic formation on the present stem of pariō “to bring forth”, like the participle partus, with an original sense “lot, portion” that shifted to “part, piece”.[3] Wiktionary connects it with pār and portiō and perhaps with Proto-Indo-European *perh₂- (“to sell, exchange”), the root of Ancient Greek πέρνημι (pérnēmi, “to sell”), or with Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to pass through”),[1] and Etymonline gives a root Proto-Indo-European *pere- (“to grant, allot”).[4] Lewis and Short compare Ancient Greek πέπρωται (péprōtai, “it is fated”).[5] De Vaan adds that the related noun meaning “portion” is certainly secondary, arising in the phrase prō portiōne “proportionally” by dissimilation from prō ratiōne or from prō partītiōne.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is attested from the Twelve Tables (c. 450 BC) and Livius Andronicus onwards, meaning a part or share;[3][6] Cato's farming manual has olive lees and water mixed in equal parts (aequas partes).[2]

Semantic evolution

From a part of a whole it developed many special uses: a fraction (pars tertia a third, tres partes three quarters), a degree of a circle in Vitruvius and Manilius, a part of speech (pars orationis) in Quintilian, a branch of study, a part of the body, and a share in property or in an undertaking (pro sua parte, pro virili parte).[2][5] The plural meant a role in a play, as early as Plautus, and hence a person's function or task.[2]

It also meant a region or direction (in omnes partes), a side or aspect (in utramque partem), and a party or faction in war, politics or a lawsuit.[2][7] Medieval documents use it for an inheritance portion, for sharecropping “at half the crop” and for a lord's followers or soldiers.[8] All Romance languages keep it, as Sardinian and Italian parte, Romanian parte, French part and Spanish parte.[9][1] English part came through Old French in the mid-13th century, and parse arose in the 1550s from the school question quae pars orationis? “what part of speech?”.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 450 BC – The Twelve Tables use it.[3][6]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus speaks of the parts in a play and of a party in a lawsuit.[2][6]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato prescribes equal parts in a recipe.[2][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it for a part of speech and for political factions.[2][6]
  • c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius uses it for a degree of a circle.[2][6]
  • c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian counts the partes orationis.[2][6]
  • mid-13th century – English borrows it, through Old French, as English part.[4]
  • 1550s – English Parse is formed in English from the school phrase quae pars orationis.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A part, portion or piece of a whole; a large or small part.[2][5]
  2. (mathematics) A fraction; a degree of a circle.[2]
  3. A component, element or division; a branch of study; a part of speech.[2][5]
  4. A part of the body, a member; a faculty of the mind.[2]
  5. A member of a group; one who has a part in an action.[2]
  6. One's share or portion; a share in an action.[2][5]
  7. (usually plural) A role in a play; one's function, task or duty.[2][5]
  8. A region, quarter or direction.[2][5]
  9. A side or aspect of a matter; a standpoint.[2]
  10. (usually plural) A party, side or faction in war, politics or a lawsuit.[2][5]
  11. (Medieval Latin) An inheritance portion; a lord's followers or soldiers.[8]

Word family

  • expers
  • partiālis
  • partiārius
  • partiatim
  • particeps
  • particula
  • partilis
  • partim
  • partiō
  • pariō
  • portiō
  • pār
  • English part
  • English parse

Usage notes

Döderlein distinguishes pars, a part in relation to the whole, from portio, a share in relation to its possessor.[10] Plautus already uses partes of the parts in a play.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f 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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  9. ^ Buchi, Éva; Schweickard, Wolfgang, eds. (2008–), Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman (DÉRom), Nancy: ATILF, http://www.atilf.fr/DERom
  10. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper