ENGLISH
REFERENCE

partake

v.
C1 Advanced US //pɑɹˈteɪk// UK //pɑːtˈeɪk// par·take Archaic Formal

v. to join in an activity or to eat or drink something. It is a polite way to say you are sharing an experience with others.

v. to participate in an activity or to consume a portion of food or drink. Often implies a communal or shared experience.


SIMPLE

Would you like to partake in the celebration?

CONTEXTUAL

After the ceremony, the guests were invited to the garden to partake of some light refreshments.

COMPLEX

While many visitors simply watch the parade, the locals encourage everyone to partake in the traditional dances that have defined the festival for centuries.

Synonyms
Origin

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”).

Usage

Intransitive; typically followed by the preposition 'in' for activities or 'of' for food and drink.

Pitfall

partake the mealpartake of the mealWhen referring to food or drink, the verb requires the preposition 'of' rather than a direct object.

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