I. ˈpär]d.əˌsipəl, ˈpȧ], ]tə- also -_səp-, chiefly Brit -tsə̇p-\ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, modification of Latin participium (translation of Greek metochē participation, sharing, participle), from particip-, particeps participant, partaking
1. : a word having the characteristics of both verb and adjective ; especially : the English verbal adjective ending in -ing or in -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n that has the function of an adjective and at the same time shows such verbal features as tense and voice and capacity to take an object — see past participle , present participle
2. obsolete : one that has the characteristics of two or more different classes
certain participles in nature which are almost ambiguous to which kind they should be referred — Francis Bacon
II. adjective
: participial