part

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

I

n. piece, section (see part); role, character (see drama); voice, instrument (see music); concern, interest, participation, business, work.

II

Piece of a whole

Nouns

1. part, portion, sector, segment, fragment, fraction, item, particular, dose; aught, any; division, subdivision, section, ward, parcel, compartment, department, detachment, class; county, region; partition, installment, interest, share (see apportionment); chapter, verse, article, clause, paragraph; passage, excerpt, episode. See incompleteness.

2. (ingredient) component or integral part, part and parcel; crux, kernel (see importance); element, factor, module, constituent, detail, ingredient, complement, material, specification, leaven; feature, principle, radicle. See composition.

3. (piece from a whole) piece, lump, bit, chip, slab, chunk, dollop, slice, cut[ting]; shard, cob, crumb, flake, tatter; scale, lamina, layer; morsel, soupçon (see littleness); shred, snip, paring, shaving, scrap, remnant, sliver, splinter; pixel. Informal, hunk, smithereen.

4. (body or plant part) member, limb, organ, lobe, lobule, arm, wing, fin, flipper; joint, link, offshoot, ramification, appurtenance; scion, branch, bough, twig, bush, spray, leaf[let], stump.

5. (discarded part) debris, odds and ends, oddments, flinders, detritus, matchwood. See remainder.

Verbs — part, divide, subdivide, break, disjoin (see disjunction); partition, share, parcel (see apportionment); break up, disrupt, dismember, disconnect, disassociate, detach, terminate; chip, splinter, snip, snap, shred, tatter, flake; part company, separate.

Adjectives

1. part, partial, fractional, fragmentary, sectional, aliquot, incomplete; divided, cleft, multifid, separated, individual, in compartments; bipartite, tripartite, etc., multipartite; broken, splintered, severed, disrupt[ed], scrappy; departmental; branch[y], branching, subsidiary.

2. component, constituent, intrinsic, integral; essential, inherent, innate; inclusive, comprehensive (see inclusion).

Adverbs — partly, in part, partially, piecemeal, part by part; by installments, by snatches, by inches, by driblets; in detail; bit by bit, inch by inch, foot by foot, drop by drop; in detail, in lots; somewhat.

Quotations — For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known (Bible), What one beholds of a woman is the least part of her (Ovid), The beginning is the most important part of the work (Plato), No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a part of the continent, a part of the main (John Donne).

Antonyms, see whole.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [A portion]

Syn. piece, portion, fragment, fraction, section, segment, division, share, sector, member, allotment, apportionment, ingredient, element, subsystem, slab, subdivision, partition, particle, installment, component, constituent, bit, slice, rasher, scrap, chip, chunk, lump, sliver, splinter, shaving, shard, molecule, atom, electron, proton, neutron; see also share .

Ant. whole*, total, aggregate.

2. [A machine part]

Syn. molding, casting, fitting, lever, shaft, cam, spring, band, belt, chain, pulley, clutch, spare part, replacement; see also bolt 1 , brace 1 , frame 1 , 2 , gear 2 , machine 1 , nut 2 , rod 1 , wheel 1 .

3. [A character in a drama]

Syn. hero, heroine, character; see role .

• for one's part,

Syn. privately, so far as one is concerned, in one's opinion; see personally 2 .

• for the most part,

Syn. mainly, mostly, to the greatest part or extent; see largely .

• in good part,

Syn. good-naturedly, without offense, cordially; see agreeably .

• in part,

Syn. to a certain extent, somewhat, slightly; see partly .

• on one's part,

Syn. privately, as far as one is concerned, coming from one; see personally 2 .

• on the part of,

Syn. for, in support of, to help, in the interest of; see for .

• play a part,

4.

Syn. behave unnaturally, put on, disguise; see deceive .

5.

Syn. share, join, take part; see participate 1 .

• take someone's part,

Syn. act in behalf of someone, aid, help; see support 2 .

Syn.- part is the general word for any of the components of a whole [ a part of one's life ] ; a portion is specifically a part allotted to someone [ her portion of the inheritance ] ; a piece is either a part separated from the whole [ a piece of pie ] or a single standardized unit of a collection [ a piece of statuary ] ; a division is a part formed by cutting, partitioning, classifying, etc. [ the fine-arts division of a library ] ; section is equivalent to division but usually connotes a smaller part [ a section of a bookcase ] ; segment implies a part separated along natural lines of division [ a segment of a tangerine ] ; a fraction is strictly a part contained by the whole an integral number of times, but generally connotes an insignificant part [ he received only a fraction of the benefits ] ; a fragment is a relatively small part separated by or as if by breaking off [ a fragment of rock, a fragment of a song ] v.

1. [To put apart]

Syn. separate, break, sever; see divide 1 .

2. [To depart]

Syn. withdraw, take leave, part company; see leave 1 .

See Synonym Study at separate .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. piece component, portion, unit, ingredient, constituent, element, section, division, segment, fraction, department.

2. role function, job, duty, responsibility, involvement.

3. acting role character, bit part, lead, supporting role.

ANT.: 1. whole, total, aggregate

II

v.

1. divide separate, disunite, split, sever, cleave, dissect, break, splay, branch out.

2. leave go, depart, withdraw, break away, go separate ways, take one's leave, *split.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun 1. One of the parts into which something is divided: division, member, piece, portion, section, segment, subdivision. See PART. 2. That which is allotted: allocation, allotment, allowance, dole, lot, measure, portion, quantum, quota, ration, share, split. Informal: cut. Slang: divvy. See COLLECT. 3. One of the individual entities contributing to a whole: building block, component, constituent, element, factor, ingredient, integrant. See PART. 4. A particular subdivision of a written work: passage, section, segment. See PART. 5. One's proper or expected function in a common effort: piece, role, share. See DO, PARTICIPATE. 6. One of two or more opposing opinions, actions, or attitudes, as in a disagreement: side. See PERSPECTIVE. II verb 1. To make a division into parts, sections, or branches: break up, dissever, divide, partition, section, segment, separate. See ASSEMBLE, PART. 2. To become or cause to become apart one from another: break, detach, disjoin, disjoint, disunite, divide, divorce, separate, split (up). Idioms: part company, set at odds. See ASSEMBLE. 3. To terminate a relationship or an association by or as if by leaving one another: break off, break up, separate. Informal: split (up). Idioms: call it quits, come to a parting of the ways, part company. See ASSEMBLE, CONTINUE. III adjective Relating to or affecting only a part; not total: fractional, fragmentary, partial. See PART.