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.