partly

Everyday

1. Partly means not completely; to some degree, but not all. tree →
2. Partly also means «in part, as one of the reasons», as in «partly because». tree →

In the lessons

In weather forecasts, «partly cloudy» or «partly sunny» means some clouds and some sun. In maths, «partly» tells you it is not the whole: a partly full glass is somewhere between empty and full; a partly coloured shape has some parts coloured (a fraction). In reasoning, «partly because» shows there is more than one reason. Phrases: «partly cloudy», «partly true», «partly to blame», «partly because».

Examples

• It will be partly cloudy tomorrow. tree →
• The glass was partly full. tree →
• The story is partly true and partly made up. tree →
• I was late partly because of the rain. tree →
• The shape is partly shaded. tree →
• The door was partly open. tree →
• He was partly to blame for the broken window. tree →
• The road is partly closed for repairs. tree →
• The Fable partly agrees with, and partly differs from both of these. tree →

Note

Do not confuse with «partially» (very similar meaning) or «party». «Partly» is an adverb, so it describes adjectives and verbs: «partly open», «partly finished». If something is partly done, it is more than none but less than all.

In Jewish tradition

In weather forecasts, «partly cloudy» or «partly sunny» means some clouds and some sun. In maths, «partly» tells you it is not the whole: a partly full glass is somewhere between empty and full; a partly coloured shape has some parts coloured (a fraction). In reasoning, «partly because» shows there is more than one reason. Phrases: «partly cloudy», «partly true», «partly to blame», «partly because».

Examples

• They pronounced it partly aspirated and partly unaspirated. [See Dr. Geiger's Lehr-und Lese-buch der Mischnah, p. 22, and Dr. Graetz's Gnosticismus, p. 117.] (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
• The reason why they have remained so long an unsolved problem is partly due to a lack of knowledge of Hebrew orthography, on which the Sefer Yetzirah is based. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →

Note

Do not confuse with «partially» (very similar meaning) or «party». «Partly» is an adverb, so it describes adjectives and verbs: «partly open», «partly finished». If something is partly done, it is more than none but less than all.