party

party · noun, verb, adverb¹

1. Russian · derived fromпартия
2. Latin · derived frompartire“to share, part, distribute, divide”
3. Old French · derived frompartir“to divide, separate”
4. Old French · derived frompartie“side, part; portion, share; separation, division”
5. Anglo-Norman · derived frompartie
6. Middle English · inherited fromparty
7. English todayparty

From Middle English party, partye, partie, from Anglo-Norman partie, from Old French partie (“side, part; portion, share; separation, division”, literally “that which is divided”), noun use of feminine of past participle of Old French partir (“to divide, separate”), from Latin partire (“to share, part, distribute, divide”), from pars (“a part, piece, a share”); see also part. First attested in c. 1300. Doublet of partita. The sense of communist party of a communist state derives Russian партия (partija), short for Коммунистическая партия (Kommunističeskaja partija). By surface analysis, part + -y (“noun suffix”).

party · adjective²

1. Latin · derived frompartītus“parted”
2. Old French · derived fromparti“parted”
3. Middle English · inherited fromparty
4. English todayparty

From Middle English party, from Old French parti (“parted”), from Latin partītus (“parted”), past participle of partiō (“to divide”). More at part.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from ca. 1300s A person or group of people constituting one side in a legal proceeding, such as in a legal action or a contract.
• from after 1475 A person; an individual.
• from after 1475 With to: someone who takes part in an action or affair; an accessory.
• from ca. 1320s A group of people forming one side in a given dispute, contest, etc., or united in maintaining a cause, policy, or opinion in opposition to others; a faction.
• from ca. 1320s A political group considered as a formal whole, usually organized on a national basis, which contests elections and aims to form or take part in a government; a political party.
• from ca. 1320s The Communist Party, especially as the sole political party of a communist state.
• from ca. 1320s The feeling of solidarity with and support for one's political party; partisanship, especially in political matters.
• from ca. 1320s Active player characters organized into a single group.