part

/pahrt/, n.

1. a portion or division of a whole that is separate or distinct; piece, fragment, fraction, or section; constituent: the rear part of the house; to glue the two parts together.

2. an essential or integral attribute or quality: a sense of humor is part of a healthy personality.

3. a section or division of a literary work.

4. a portion, member, or organ of an animal body.

5. any of a number of more or less equal quantities that compose a whole or into which a whole is divided: Use two parts sugar to one part cocoa.

6. an allotted portion; share.

7. Usually, parts.

a. a region, quarter, or district: a journey to foreign parts.

b. a quality or attribute establishing the possessor as a person of importance or superior worth: Being both a diplomat and a successful businesswoman, she is widely regarded as a woman of parts.

8. either of the opposing sides in a contest, question, agreement, etc.

9. the dividing line formed in separating the hair of the head and combing it in different directions.

10. a constituent piece of a machine or tool either included at the time of manufacture or set in place as a replacement for the original piece.

11. Music.

a. the written or printed matter extracted from the score that a single performer or section uses in the performance of concerted music: a horn part.

b. a section or division of a composition: the allegro part of the first movement.

12. participation, interest, or concern in something; role: The neighbors must have had some part in planning the surprise party.

13. a person's share in or contribution to some action; duty, function, or office: You must do your part if we're to finish by tonight.

14. a character or role acted in a play or sustained in real life.

15. for one's part, as far as concerns one: For my part, you can do whatever you please.

16. for the most part, with respect to the greatest part; on the whole; generally; usually; mostly: They are good students, for the most part.

17. in good part,

a. without offense; in a good-natured manner; amiably: She was able to take teasing in good part.

b. to a great extent; largely: His success is in good part ascribable to dogged determination.

18. in part, in some measure or degree; to some extent; partly; partially: The crop failure was due in part to unusual weather conditions.

19. on the part of,

a. so far as pertains to or concerns one: He expressed appreciation on the part of himself and his colleagues.

b. as done or manifested by: attention on the part of the audience. Also, on one's part.

20. part and parcel, an essential, necessary, or integral part: Her love for her child was part and parcel of her life.

21. take part, to participate; share or partake: They refused to take part in any of the activities of the community.

22. take someone's part, to align oneself with; support; defend: His parents took his part, even though he was obviously in the wrong.

v.t.

23. to divide (a thing) into parts; break; cleave; divide.

24. to comb (the hair) away from a dividing line.

25. to divide into shares; distribute in parts; apportion.

26. to put or keep apart; separate: They parted the calves from the herd.

27. Metall.

a. to separate (silver) from gold in refining.

b. to cut (one part) away from a piece, as an end from a billet.

c. to keep the surface of (a casting) separate from the sand of the mold.

28. Obs. to leave.

v.i.

29. to be or become divided into parts; break or cleave: The oil tanker parted amidships.

30. to go or come apart; separate, as two or more things.

31. to go apart from or leave one another, as persons: We'll part no more.

32. to be or become separated from something else (usually fol. by from).

33. Naut. to break or become torn apart, as a cable.

34. to depart.

35. to die.

36. part company,

a. to bid farewell or go separate ways; leave one another.

b. to dissolve a personal affiliation, relationship, etc., esp. because of irreconcilable differences.

c. to disagree.

37. part with, to give up (property, control, etc.); relinquish: to part with one's money.

adj.

38. partial; of a part: part owner.

adv.

39. in part; partly: part black.

[bef. 1000; (n.) ME ( < OF < L), OE < L part- (s. of pars) piece, portion; (v.) ME parten < OF partir < L partire, deriv. of pars]

Syn. 1. component, ingredient, division, sector. PART, PIECE, PORTION, SEGMENT, SECTION, FRACTION, FRAGMENT refer to something that is less than the whole. PART is the general word: part of a house. A PIECE suggests a part which is itself a complete unit or it may mean an irregular fragment: a piece of pie; a piece of a broken vase. A PORTION is a part allotted or assigned to a person, purpose, etc.: a portion of food. A SEGMENT is often a part into which something separates naturally: a segment of an orange.

SECTION suggests a relatively substantial, clearly separate part that fits closely with other parts to form a whole: a section of a fishing rod, a book. FRACTION suggests a less substantial but still clearly delimited part, often separate from other parts: a fraction of his former income. FRAGMENT suggests a broken, inconsequential, incomplete part, with irregular or imprecise outlines or boundaries: a fragment of broken pottery, of information. 6. apportionment, lot. 13. responsibility. 26. sever, sunder, dissociate, disconnect, disjoin, detach.

Ant. 1. whole. 23. join.

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