English
party
Party comes from Middle English party, from Anglo-Norman partie, from Latin partire ‘to share’, from pars ‘a part’, from Proto-Italic *partis.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*partis‘part’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpars‘a part’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpartire‘to share’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400partir‘to divide’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400partie‘side’literally ‘that which is divided’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400same form
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500party
- Englishearliest quotation 1470–1485same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*partis‘part’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpars‘a part’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpartire‘to share’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400partir‘to divide’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400partie‘side’literally ‘that which is divided’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400same form
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500party
- Englishearliest quotation 1470–1485same form
Earliest quotation: 1470–1485, Capitulum xv: “And so the moost party of the castel that…”
Equivalent to part + -y ‘noun suffix’
Proto-Italic *partis ‘part’
Latin pars ‘part, portion, piece, share’
Latin partem ‘accusative of pars’
Old English part ‘part’
Middle English part
English part
first attested First attested in c. 1300 (as stated in the etymology)
The story
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. The sense of communist party of a communist state derives Russian партия (partija), short for Коммунистическая партия (Kommunističeskaja partija).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- ‘to grant’
empire, experiment, expert, imperial, repair, preparation, parental, para, partisan, imperium, imperious, parity, pare, rampart, 32 more
through Proto-Italic *partis ‘part’
through Latin pars ‘a part, piece, a share’
particular, participate, participation, partial, particle, parcel, partition, depart, particulate, parse, impart, 15 more
through Old French partir ‘to divide, separate’
Another origin of party
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*perh₃-‘to provide, produce, beget’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pérh₃tisuncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*partis‘part’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpars‘part, piece’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpartiō‘to divide’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpartior‘to share, part’uncertainpast participle of partiō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpartītus‘parted’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400parti‘parted’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500party
- Englishtodaysame form
Today it means
noun A person or group of people constituting one side in a legal proceeding, such as in a legal action or a contract.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *partis / party