Meanings
present singular third person partakes · participle present partaking · past partook · participle past partaken
- formalintransitiveTo take part in an activity; to participate.
Brutes partake in this faculty.
1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC - formalintransitiveTo take a share or portion.
Will you partake of some food?
1 more example
The steak and chips partaken of for lunch seemed now to belong to another decade. He regretfully recognized the fact that he would not make a success of a hunger strike.
1922, Agatha Christie, “Chapter 17”, in The Secret Adversary - archaicintransitiveTo have something of the properties, character, or office.
c. 1620, Francis Bacon, letter of advice to Sir George Villiers the Attorney of the Duchy of Lancaster , who partakes of both qualities, partly of a judge in the court, and partly of an attorney-general
1 more example
The people are encouraged to perceive their liberation in historic terms and to trust that new events will partake of past glories.
2001, David L. Lieber, Jules Harlow, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, page 1107
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishpart-takinge
- Englishpartake
Back-formation from Middle English part-takinge, part-takynge (“a sharing; partaking”), a calque of Latin particeps (“participating”); equivalent to part + take. Compare take part. In the sense of taking a share or portion of something, displaced native Old English onbītan (“to taste of, to partake of”).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μετέχῳ
- μετέχῳ (metékhōi)to take part in an activity
Bulgarian уча́ствам, взимам си
- уча́ствам (učástvam)to take part in an activity
- взимам си (vzimam si)to take a share of food
Chinese Mandarin 参加
- 参加 (cānjiā)to take part in an activity
Czech účastnit se, podílet se
- účastnit seto take part in an activity
- podílet seto take part in an activity
- zúčastnit seto take part in an activity
- jístto take a share of food
- pojístto take a share of food
- snístto take a share of food
Dutch deelnemen, participeren
- deelnemento take part in an activity
- participerento take part in an activity
- mee-etento take a share of food
Esperanto partopreni
- partoprenito take part in an activity
Estonian osa võtma, osalema
- osa võtmato take part in an activity
- osalemato take part in an activity
Finnish osallistua, ottaa osaa
- osallistuato take part in an activity
- ottaa osaato take part in an activity
French participer
- participerto take part in an activity
German teilnehmen, mitmachen
- teilnehmento take part in an activity
- mitmachento take part in an activity
- mitessento take a share of food
Greek μοιράζομαι, συνεργώ σε
- μοιράζομαι (moirázomai)to take part in an activity
- συνεργώ σε (synergó se)to take part in an activity
- παίρνω μέρος (paírno méros)to take part in an activity
- παίρνω μερίδιο (paírno merídio)to take part in an activity
- μεταλαμβάνω (metalamváno)to take a share of food
- κοινωνώ (koinonó)to take a share of food
Hungarian részt vesz
- részt veszto take part in an activity
Irish bí rannpháirteach, caith
- bí rannpháirteachto take part in an activity
- caithto take a share of food
- glacto take a share of food
Italian partecipare
- partecipareto take part in an activity
Japanese 参加する
- 参加する (sanka suru)to take part in an activity
Latin participō
- participōto take part in an activity
Māori whakauru, kuhu
- whakauruto take part in an activity
- kuhuto take part in an activity
Polish uczestniczyć
- uczestniczyćto take part in an activity
Portuguese participar
- participarto take part in an activity
Romanian participa
- participato take part in an activity
Russian принима́ть уча́стие, приня́ть уча́стие
- принима́ть уча́стие (prinimátʹ učástije)to take part in an activity
- приня́ть уча́стие (prinjátʹ učástije)to take part in an activity
- уча́ствовать (učástvovatʹ)to take part in an activity
- разделя́ть (razdeljátʹ)to take a share of food
- раздели́ть (razdelítʹ)to take a share of food
- отве́дать (otvédatʹ)to take a share of food
Spanish participar, tomar
- participarto take part in an activity
- tomarto take a share of food
- consumirto take a share of food
- participar ento take a share of food
- permitirseto take a share of food
- participar deto take a share of food
Swedish delta
- deltato take part in an activity
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with partake
Cite this entry
partake. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/partake
“partake.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/partake. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “partake,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/partake.
Source: partake on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.