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part

  • noun 1 a piece or segment which is combined with others to make up a whole. 2 some but not all of something. 3 a specified fraction of a whole. 4 a measure allowing comparison between the amounts of different ingredients used in a mixture. 5 a role played by an actor or actress. 6 a person’s contribution to an action or situation. 7 (parts) informal a region. 8 Music a melody or other constituent of harmony assigned to a particular voice or instrument. 9 (parts) abilities: a man of many parts.

  • verb 1 move apart or divide to leave a central space. 2 leave or cause to leave someone’s company. 3 (part with) give up possession of; hand over.

  • adverb partly: part jazz, part blues.

  — PHRASES be part and parcel of be an essential element of. for my (or his, her, etc.) part as far as I am (or he, she, etc. is) concerned. in part to some extent. on the part of used to ascribe responsibility for something to someone. part company go in different directions. take part join in or be involved in an activity. take the part of give support and encouragement to.

  — ORIGIN Latin pars; the verb is from Latin partire ‘divide, share’.

 

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