■ noun
1》 a person who takes part in an undertaking with another or others, especially in a business or firm with shared risks and profits.
2》 either of two people doing something as a couple or pair.
3》 either member of a married couple or of an established unmarried couple.
4》 US dated or dialect a friendly form of address by one man to another.
■ verb
1》 be the ~ of.
2》 N. Amer. associate as ~s.
Derivatives
~less adjective
Origin
ME: alt. of parcener '~, joint heir', from Anglo-Norman Fr. parcener , based on L. partitio(n-) 'partition'.