Party Means a Part, Which Explains Political Parties
A party is a social gathering, a political group, or one side in a contract. All three come from the idea of a part.
A party is a social gathering, a political organisation, or one side in a legal agreement. Latin *partire*, to divide, sits behind all of them: a political party is a part of the electorate, a party to a contract is one side of it, and a search party is a detached portion of a larger group. The celebration sense came last, from the idea of a select group gathered together. *Partisan* comes from the same root and means one who takes a part.
- A social gathering. *A birthday party.*
- A political group. *The governing party.*
- A side in an agreement. *The other party.*
- A group with a purpose. *A search party.*
- Latin — *partire*, to divide. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | party | A big party. |
| Plural | parties | Two parties. |
| Verb | party | They partied. |
| Adjective | partisan | Partisan politics. |
| Latin | pars | A part. |
- The party ran until midnight.Social.
- Both parties signed the contract.Legal.
- A search party set out at dawn.Group.
The pars family
- Party — a part of a whole, in several senses
- Partisan — one who takes a side
- Participate — to take a part
- Portion — a part allotted
- Apartment — a set of rooms parted off from the rest
Old French *partie*, a part or side, from Latin *partita*, from *partire*, to divide, from *pars*, a part.
Why is a political group called a party?
Because it represents a part of the whole population, from Latin pars, a part.
What does party to a contract mean?
One of the sides bound by it. The sense of a party as a side in an agreement is older than the celebration.