Added 9 October 2026
partial
/ˈpɑɹʃəl/ adjective
Latin root: partiālis Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about partial at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
Existing as a part or portion; incomplete.
So far, I have only pieced together a partial account of the incident.
-
Describing a property that holds only when an algorithm terminates.
It's easy to prove partial correctness, but it's not obvious that it is also totally correct.
-
Biased in favor of a person, side, or point of view, especially when dealing with a competition or dispute.
The referee is blatantly partial!
noun
- A partial derivative: a derivative with respect to one independent variable of a function in multiple variables while holding the other variables constant.
- Any of the sine waves which make up a complex tone; often an overtone or harmonic of the fundamental.
- dentures that replace only some of the natural teeth
verb
- To take the partial regression coefficient.
Origin
From Middle English partiall, parcial, from Old French parcial (“biased or particular”), from Late Latin partiālis (“of or pertaining to a part”), from Latin pars (“part”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)