entry
part
/pɑːrt/A portion, role, section, or act of separating
From Latin, via Old French part (a portion).
from PIE root *pere- (2) "to grant, allot." It has replaced native deal (n.) in most senses. Meaning "an allotted...
from Old French part "share, portion; character; power, dominion; side, way, path,"
+1 more sourcefrom Old French part "share, portion; character; power, dominion; side, way, path,"
+1 more sourcefrom Old French part "share, portion; character; power, dominion; side, way, path,"
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from PIE root *pere- (2) "to grant, allot." It has replaced native deal (n.) in most senses. Meaning "an allotted...
from Old French part "share, portion; character; power, dominion; side, way, path,"
+1 more sourcefrom Old French part "share, portion; character; power, dominion; side, way, path,"
+1 more sourcefrom Old French part "share, portion; character; power, dominion; side, way, path,"
+1 more sourceImagine a medieval schoolroom where a grammar teacher asks, “What part of speech is this?” That question gave us parse: Latin pars meant “part,” and English students eventually turned the phrase into a verb. The leading etymology traces part to Proto-Indo-European *pere-, “to grant or allot,” while another source connects it with *par-, “to sell or exchange”—a small scholarly disagreement about whether a part is something assigned or something traded. English borrowed the word through Old French, but it pushed aside native words such as deal and dole in many everyday senses. By the late fifteenth century, an actor’s “share” in a performance became a part, and by 1813 even a machine could have one. A part is therefore both a slice of a thing and the role you are allotted inside the larger drama.
The Story
Imagine a medieval schoolroom where a grammar teacher asks, “What part of speech is this?” That question gave us parse: Latin pars meant “part,” and English students eventually turned the phrase into a verb. The leading etymology traces part to Proto-Indo-European *pere-, “to grant or allot,” while another source connects it with *par-, “to sell or exchange”—a small scholarly disagreement about whether a part is something assigned or something traded. English borrowed the word through Old French, but it pushed aside native words such as deal and dole in many everyday senses. By the late fifteenth century, an actor’s “share” in a performance became a part, and by 1813 even a machine could have one. A part is therefore both a slice of a thing and the role you are allotted inside the larger drama.
Modern Usage
Vulgar slang for urinating and farting simultaneously, or for passing gas through the penis
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries
Kin & Kindred
From 'part'·a portion, share, division, or role
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary