partisan

See also: Partisan

English

WOTD – 4 March 2009

Alternative forms

• partizan

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑː.tɪˌzæn/, /ˌpɑː.tɪˈzæn/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑɹ.ɾɪ.sən/, /ˈpɑɹ.ɾə.sən/, /-zən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Etymology 1

From French partisan, from Italian partigiano (“defender of a party”), from parte (“part”). Doublet of partigiano. Attested in English from the late 15th century in the noun sense of "party adherent", and in related adjective senses from the 16th century. The "guerilla fighter" sense influenced by Serbo-Croatian partizan, Russian партиза́н (partizán), from the same source. The sense of "guerilla fighter" is from c. 1690. The adjective in the military sense dates from the early 18th century.(Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Noun

partisan (plural partisans)

1. An adherent to a party or faction.
   • 1992, Thomas R. Pegram, "Partisans and Progressives: Private Interest and Public Policy in Illinois

     "Strong partisans of neither party, Indiana farmers failed to act as a block […] "

2. A fervent, sometimes militant, supporter or proponent of a party, cause, faction, person, or idea.
3. A member of a band of detached light, irregular troops acting behind occupying enemy lines in the ways of harassment or sabotage; a guerrilla fighter.
4. (now rare) The commander of a body of detached light troops engaged in making forays and harassing an enemy.

Related terms

• copartisan
• part
• partisanism
• partisanry
• partisanship
• party

Translations

adherent to a party

• Albanian: anëmbajtës m
• Arabic: حِزْبِيّ‎ m (ḥizbiyy)
• Armenian: համախոհ (hy) (hamaxoh), կողմնակից (hy) (kołmnakicʿ)
• Bulgarian: привърженик (bg) m (privǎrženik)
• Czech: stoupenec (cs) m
• Dutch: aanhanger (nl) m
• Finnish: kannattaja (fi) (supporter); puolueaktiivi (activist)
• French: militant (fr) m, militante (fr) f
• Greek: οπαδός (el) m or f (opadós)
• Ido: partisano (io)
• Irish: páirtíneach m
• Italian: partigiano (it) m, partigiana (it) f
• Portuguese: partidário (pt) m
• Russian: приве́рженец (ru) m (privérženec), сторо́нник (ru) m (storónnik), аде́пт (ru) m (adɛ́pt), побо́рник (ru) m (pobórnik)
• Scottish Gaelic: taobhaiche m
• Spanish: partidario (es) m

fervent supporter of a party

• Albanian: anëmbajtës m
• Danish: partisoldat c
• Esperanto: partizano
• Finnish: puoluepukari
• French: partisan (fr) m, partisane (fr) f
• German: Partisan (de) m
• Greek: οπαδός (el) m or f (opadós), θιασιώτης m (thiasiótis)
• Polish: zwolennik (pl) m, zwolenniczka (pl) f
• Portuguese: partidário (pt) m
• Romanian: partizan (ro) m

member of a body of detached light troops — see guerrilla

Adjective

partisan (comparative more partisan, superlative most partisan)

1. Serving as commander or member of a body of detached light troops.

   partisan officer, partisan corps

2. Adherent to a party or faction; especially, having the character of blind, passionate, or unreasonable adherence to a party.

   They were blinded by partisan zeal.

   • 2020 June 3, Lilian Greenwood talks to Paul Stephen, “Rail's 'underlying challenges' remain”, in Rail, page 33:

     Having put partisan interests to one side, Greenwood set about making teamwork a watchword for her chairmanship, while seeking the broadest possible participation in subsequent inquiries.

3. Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause.

   partisan politics

   • 2012 June 19, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     England will regard it as a measure of justice for Frank Lampard's disallowed goal against Germany in Bloemfontein at the 2010 World Cup - but it was also an illustration of how they rode their luck for long periods in front of a predictably partisan home crowd.

Translations

adherent to a party or faction

• Arabic: حِزْبِيّ‎ (ḥizbiyy)
• Czech: stranický (cs)
• Finnish: puolue- (fi)
• French: partisan (fr) m, partisane (fr) f
• Greek: μεροληπτικός (el) (meroliptikós)
• Irish: claonpháirteach
• Portuguese: partidário (pt) m
• Russian: парти́йный (ru) (partíjnyj)

devoted to a party or group

• Czech: stoupenecký m
• Finnish: puolue- (fi), ryhmäkuntainen, puolueellinen (fi)
• French: partisan (fr) m, partisane (fr) f
• Romanian: părtinitor (ro)

serving as a commander or member of a body of detached light troops

• Bulgarian: партизански (partizanski)
• Czech: partyzánský (cs)
• Finnish: partisaani- (fi), sissi- (fi)
• French: partisan (fr) m
• Polish: partyzancki (pl) m, bojowniczy m
• Russian: партиза́нский (ru) (partizánskij)
• Ukrainian: партиза́нський (partyzánsʹkyj)

Etymology 2

From French partizaine, from Middle French partizaine, partisanne etc., from Italian partigiana, related to Etymology 1 above (apparently because it was seen as a typical weapon of such forces).

Noun

partisan (plural partisans)

1. (historical) A long-handled spear with a triangular, double-edged blade having lateral projections, in some forms also used in boar hunting.
   • c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene vii]:

     I had as lief have a reed that will do me no service as a partisan I could not heave.

   • 1825, Sir Walter Scott, The Talisman:

     Salisbury and his attendants were also now drawing near, with bills and partisans brandished, and bows already bended.

2. (obsolete) A soldier armed with such a weapon.

Translations

type of spear

• Bulgarian: алебарда (bg) f (alebarda)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 闊頭槍／阔头枪 (kuòtóuqiāng)

• Danish: partisan c
• Finnish: pertuska (fi)
• French: pertuisane (fr) f
• German: Partisane (de) f
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: πλατύλογχον n (platúlonkhon)

• Ido: partizano (io)
• Irish: páirtiseán m
• Italian: partigiana (it) f
• Kazakh: бедерлі найза (bederlı naiza)
• Polish: partyzana (pl) f, kapralski kij m
• Portuguese: partasana f
• Russian: протаза́н (ru) m (protazán), алеба́рда (ru) f (alebárda)
• Spanish: partisana f

soldier

• Finnish: pertuskamies

See also

• halberd

Further reading

• Partisan in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• Partains, Sarpanit, aspirant, spartina

French

Etymology

From Italian partigiano.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paʁ.ti.zɑ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

partisan m (plural partisans, feminine partisane)

1. supporter, proponent, advocate
2. (sports) fan

Adjective

partisan (feminine partisane, masculine plural partisans, feminine plural partisanes)

1. partisan, partial
2. in favour of

Descendants

• → English: partisan
• → Macedonian: партиза́н (partizán)
• → Ottoman Turkish: پارتیزان‎ (partizan)
• → Romanian: partizan
• → Russian: партиза́н (partizán), партиза́нъ (partizán)
  • → Kazakh: партизан (partizan)
  • → Yakut: партизан (partizan)
• → Serbo-Croatian: partìzān, партѝза̄н
• → Ukrainian: партиза́н (partyzán)

Further reading

• “partisan”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• aspirant

Norman

Etymology

Borrowed from French partisan.

Noun

partisan m (plural partisans)

1. (Jersey) supporter

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Italian partigiano, via French partisan.

Noun

partisan m (definite singular partisanen, indefinite plural partisaner, definite plural partisanene)

1. a partisan (member of an armed group)

References

• “partisan” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Italian partigiano, via French partisan.

Noun

partisan m (definite singular partisanen, indefinite plural partisanar, definite plural partisanane)

1. a partisan (member of an armed group)

References

• “partisan” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.