participate

The story

1. Latin · borrowed fromparticipātus
2. English todayparticipate

Borrowed from Latin participātus, the perfect passive participle of participō (“to take part in, share in, give part in, impart”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from particeps (“taking part (in), sharing (in); someone who takes part (in)”, particip- in compounds), from pars (“part”, part- in compounds) + -ceps (“which takes, taker”), literally “(someone) who takes part”; see part and capable. Compare Old English dǣlniman (“to participate”), an earlier calque of the same Latin verb.

First known use, by meaning

• from 16th c. To join in, to take part, to involve oneself (in something).
• 16th–19th c. To share, to take part in (something).
• 16th–18th c. To share (something) with others; to transfer (something) to or unto others.