parti

1 of 4

noun (1)

par·​ti

(ˈ)pär¦tē

plural partis

-ē(z)

1

: match entry 1 sense 4b

the Englishman whom she naively assumes to be an excellent parti

—Times Literary Supplement

2

: a good or desirable match

you don't realize what a parti he is

—Mary Manning

parti

2 of 4

noun (2)

"

plural -s

: the basic general scheme of an architectural design

parti-

3 of 4

combining form (1)

variants or less commonly party-

: various : variegated

parti-striped

parti-

4 of 4

combining form (2)

: part

parti-mortgage

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French, from Middle French, match, party, decision, from parti, past participle of partir to divide, go away

Noun (2)

French, from Middle French, match, party, decision

Combining form (1)

obsolete English party, adjective, parti-colored, from Middle English party, parti, from Middle French parti striped, party per pale, from Old French, from parti, past participle of partir to divide, go away

Combining form (2)

Latin, from part-, pars

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!