What is the Latin word for part?

The usual Latin words for “part” are pars, portiō, membrum; also locus, factiō, persōna. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“part” in Latin

parsa part, portion, piece, share; pars ... pars ..., some ... others ...; a party, fraction, side portiōshare, part, portion; relation, proportion membrumlimb of the body; member.; the penis (membrum virīle); a portion, division locusplace (referring to a specific location); a passage of literature; opportunity; cause; occasion; grounds factiōa political faction, a group of people acting together; a company of charioteers; an act of making or doing; a preparati persōnamask; character, personage, role; personality, character, individuality officiumduty, service, office; obligation, an obligatory service, visit, or gesture; kindness, favor, courtesy mūnusa service, office, employment; a burden, duty, obligation; a service, favor rēgiuskingly, regal, royal (of or pertaining to a king); magnificent, splendid, distinguished (worthy of a king)terradry land (as opposed to watery parts of the Earth); ground, floor (the surface of the land); earth, soil, dirt, clay, cl

The English word part itself goes back to Latin pars, through partem.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

part

Portion, pars; portio (part to which one has a right, portion; ☞ in the best prose portio occurs only in the phrase pro portione): membrum (member of the body, of a sentence): locus (passage, section of a book, etc.). The middle, extreme, upper, lower part, is expressed in Latin by the adjectivesmedius, extremus, infimus, summus: by or in parts, per partes; particulatim (opposed to summatim, or totus); ex parte (opposed to totus); carptim (opposed to universi); nonnulla parte: I for my part, ego quidem, equidem (according to my views, etc.; ☞ not quod ad me attinet): pro mea parte (according to my power): each for his part, pro sua quisque parte (each according to his power): to divide into parts, in partes dividere or distribuere: to get or receive a part of anything, partem alicujus rei accipere: to have part in anything, alicujus rei participem, or in parte, in societate, alicujus rei esse; partem or societatem in aliqua re habere (in anything good): alicujus rei socium esse (in anything good or bad): affinem esse alicujus rei or alicui rei (in anything bad; e.g., facinori): to take part in anything, partem alicujus rei capere (e.g., administrandae reipublicae; Suet., Oct., 37): in partem alicujus rei venire; interesse alicui rei (to be present at, to be personally concerned with; e.g., pugnae): attingere aliquid (to be engaged in): commoveri aliqua re (to sympathize with): to have no part in anything, alicujus rei expertem esse; partem alicujus rei non habere; non contulisse ad aliquid (not to have contributed to).

Party, partes (plur., implying difference of principles or interests): factio (clique of partizans): to take part with, alicujus partes suscipere, amplecti; ad causam alicujus se adjungere: the one part... the other part, pars... pars; partim... partim (also with a genitive or the preposition ex); pars or partim... alii, -ae, -a; alii, -ae, -a... alii, -ae, -a (all of persons or of things).

Character in a play, partes (plur.); persona: a second part, partes secundae, or simply secundae (PROP. and figuratively): to play a second part, partes secundas agere or sustinere, in anything, in aliqua re: one who plays a second part, secundarum partium actor.

Duty, officium; munus. It is my, your, etc., part, meum, tuum, etc. est: it is the part of a wise man, sapientis, etc. (the substantive officium, etc., being omitted).

Region, regio; terra.

Plural, qualities, ingenium; ingenii vires, virtutes, or facultates (☞ but facultates alone usually denotes wealth, riches).

part v.

TRANS., partiri; dividere; dispertire, or, more rarely, dispertiri. [SYN. and PHR., in DIVIDE, DISTRIBUTE].

INTRANS., discedere (general term): digredi (to go to different sides; of persons): dilabi (to separate, imperceptibly; usually of things): fatiscere (to form chinks or clefts; of things): dehiscere (to gape open): to part from anyone, discedere ab aliquo, digredi ab aliquo (☞ never degredi, which is “to go or march down,” etc.; Vid: Latin Dict.).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for part?: The usual Latin words for “part” are pars, portiō, membrum; also locus, factiō, persōna. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.