partible en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈpɑɹtɪbl̩/ (General-American)
- /ˈpɑːtɪbl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin partibilis, from Latin partiō (“to share, divide”).
Meanings
-
(not-comparable) Divisible, able to be divided or partitioned.
If souls be not unible, nor partible substances, there is no place for this doubt: if they be, they will be still what they are, notwithstanding any such union with a common soul.
1683, Richard Baxter, Dying Thoughts:
- (not-comparable) Of property: that can be divided between heirs on inheritance.
-
(not-comparable) Relating to an inheritance system based on such division.
Following the introduction of partible inheritance in 1793, peasants reacted by using systematic birth control for the first time so as to restrict the number of heirs among whom their property would have to be divided – causing a sharp and enduring drop in France's birth-rate.
2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 562:
Deriveds
unpartible · tripartible · impartible