Partial

Partial

Adjective · /ˈpɑːʃəl/ · incomplete; biased toward one side

Definition

1. Not complete or whole — existing only in part. A partial payment covers some but not all of a debt. 2. Unfairly favouring one side — biased. A partial judge cannot be trusted. 3. (informal, with to) Having a fondness for something — she is partial to chocolate. Three distinct senses, all from the same Latin root.

Origin

From Late Latin partialis, derived from pars (part). Entered English via Old French in the fourteenth century. The "incomplete" sense came first; the "biased" sense followed quickly (a person who takes the part of one side); the "fond of" sense emerged in the seventeenth century (being partial to = leaning toward).