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Definition of partial - 5 dictionary results

par⋅tial

[pahr-shuhl]
–adjective
1. being such in part only; not total or general; incomplete: partial blindness; a partial payment of a debt.
2. biased or prejudiced in favor of a person, group, side, etc., over another, as in a controversy: a partial witness.
3. pertaining to or affecting a part.
4. being a part; component; constituent.
5. Botany. secondary or subordinate: a partial umbel.
–noun
6. Bridge. part-score.
7. Acoustics, Music. partial tone.
8. partial to, having a liking or preference for; particularly fond of: I'm partial to chocolate cake.

Origin:
1375–1425; late ME parcial biased, particular < MF < LL partiālis pertaining to a part, equiv. to L parti- (s. of pars) part + -ālis -al 1


par⋅tial⋅ly, adverb
par⋅tial⋅ness, noun


1. unfinished, imperfect, limited. 2. one-sided, unfair, unjust.


1, 3. complete. 2. unbiased, fair.

partial tone

–noun Acoustics, Music.
one of the pure tones forming a part of a complex tone.
Also called partial.


Origin:
1875–80

part-score

[pahrt-skawr, -skohr]
–noun Bridge.
1. a contract to make less than the number of tricks required for game: to bid a part-score of three diamonds.
2. the number of points gained by making such a contract: a part-score of 60 points.
Also called partial, partial score.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To partial
har·mon·ic   (här-mŏn'ĭk)   
adj.  
    1. Of or relating to harmony.

    2. Pleasing to the ear: harmonic orchestral effects.

    3. Characterized by harmony: a harmonic liturgical chant.

  1. Of or relating to harmonics.

  2. Integrated in nature.

n.  
    1. Any of a series of musical tones whose frequencies are integral multiples of the frequency of a fundamental tone.

    2. A tone produced on a stringed instrument by lightly touching an open or stopped vibrating string at a given fraction of its length so that both segments vibrate. Also called overtone, partial, partial tone.

  1. harmonics (used with a sing. verb) The theory or study of the physical properties and characteristics of musical sound.

  2. Physics A wave whose frequency is a whole-number multiple of that of another.


[Latin harmonicus, from Greek harmonikos, from harmoniā, harmony; see harmony.]
har·mon'i·cal·ly adv.
par·tial   (pär'shəl)   
adj.  
  1. Of, relating to, being, or affecting only a part; not total; incomplete: The plan calls for partial deployment of missiles. The police have only a partial description of the suspect.

  2. Favoring one person or side over another or others; biased or prejudiced: a decision that was partial to the plaintiff.

  3. Having a particular liking or fondness for something or someone: partial to spicy food.

  4. Mathematics Of or being operations or sequences of operations, such as differentiation and integration, when applied to only one of several variables at a time.

n.  
  1. Music See harmonic.

  2. Mathematics A partial derivative.


[Middle English parcial, from Old French, from Late Latin partiālis, from Latin pars, part-, part; see part.]
par'tial·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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