Par"tial (?), a. [F., fr. LL. partials, fr. L. pars, gen. partis, a part; cf. (for sense 1) F. partiel. See Part, n.]
1.
Of, pertaining to, or affecting, a part only; not general or universal; not total or entire; as, a partial eclipse of the moon.
"
Partial dissolutions of the earth."
T. Burnet.
2.
Inclined to favor one party in a cause, or one side of a question, more then the other; baised; not indifferent; as, a judge should not be partial.
Ye have been partial in the law.
Mal. ii. 9.
3.
Having a predelection for; inclined to favor unreasonably; foolishly fond.
"A
partial parent."
Pope.
Not partial to an ostentatious display.
Sir W. Scott.
4. Bot.
Pertaining to a subordinate portion; as, a compound umbel is made up of a several partial umbels; a leaflet is often supported by a partial petiole.
Partial differentials, Partial differential coefficients, Partial differentiation, etc. (of a function of two or more variables), the differentials, differential coefficients, differentiation etc., of the function, upon the hypothesis that some of the variables are for the time constant. -- Partial fractions Alg., fractions whose sum equals a given fraction. -- Partial tones Music, the simple tones which in combination form an ordinary tone; the overtones, or harmonics, which, blending with a fundamental tone, cause its special quality of sound, or timbre, or tone color. See, also, Tone.
© Webster 1913.