Where does “partial” come from?
Partial comes from Middle English parcial, from Old French parcial, from Latin -alis (a suffix forming adjectives) derived from Proto-Indo-European per- and pr̥tós.
partial (English): existing as a part or portion; incomplete;...
Definitions
- existing as a part or portion; incomplete;...
Ancestry of “partial”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | partiall | — |
| 2 | Old French | parcial | biased or particular |
| 3 | Late Latin | partialis | of or pertaining to a part; of, or pertaining to,... |
| 4 | Latin | pars | part, side, piece, share; some; faction |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |