partake

Definition

To take part in an activity; to participate.

Etymology

Back-formation from Middle English part-takinge, part-takynge (“a sharing; partaking”), a calque of Latin particeps (“participating”); equivalent to part + take. Compare take part. In the sense of taking a share or portion of something, displaced native Old English onbītan (“to taste of, to partake of”).

Example Sentences

• "Brutes partake in this faculty."
• "Will you partake of some food?"
• "The steak and chips partaken of for lunch seemed now to belong to another decade. He regretfully recognized the fact that he would not make a success of a hunger strike."