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partio

Etymology and origin of the Latin word partio

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (pars)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin pars
Latin partio

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈpar.ti.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈpar.t͡si.o][1]

Forms

partiō (present infinitive partīre, perfect active partīvī or partiī, supine partītum); fourth conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin pars (“part, piece”) + -iō.[2][1] Schrijver, as reported by de Vaan, explains pars as a pre-Latin formation from the present stem of pariō “to bring forth”, originally “lot, portion”.[3] The verb is also deponent, partior, which Cicero, Caesar and Quintilian use almost exclusively.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gaffiot cites Plautus first for sharing out.[5] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to share out, distribute, divide among people, and to divide into parts.[2] Lucretius says the sun divides the heavens into unequal parts.[2] In late legal Latin it also meant to take as one's share.[2]

The TLL notes that in Romance it developed the sense “to depart”, as in Italian partire, French partir and Spanish partir.[7][1]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of sharing.[5][6]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of the sun dividing the heavens.[2][6]
  • before 223 AD – Ulpian uses it of taking a share.[2][6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To share, distribute, apportion.[2]
  2. To divide into parts.[2]
  3. (law) To take as a share.[2]

Usage notes

A different noun Latin partiō, partiōnis, from pariō, meant giving birth, and of hens laying eggs.[2][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ 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 Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
Cite this entry

“Partio.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/partio. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·