Par"tial (?), a. [F., fr. LL. partials, fr. L. pars, gen.
partis, a part; cf. (for sense 1) F. partiel. See Part, n.] Of,
pertaining to, or affecting, a part only; not general or
universal; not total or entire; as, a partial eclipse of the
moon. dissolutions of the earth." 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. Having a predelection for;
inclined to favor unreasonably; foolishly fond. Not partial to
an ostentatious display. Sir W. Scott. 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