- A fervent, sometimes militant supporter or proponent of a party, cause, faction, person, or idea.
- A member of an organized body of fighters who attack or harass an enemy, especially within occupied territory; a guerrilla.
- Of, relating to, or characteristic of a partisan or partisans.
- Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause: partisan politics.
[French, from Old French, from Old Italian dialectal partisano, variant of Old Italian partigiano, from parte, part, from Latin pars, part-. See part.]
partisanship par'ti·san·ship' n.par·ti·san2 also par·ti·zan (pär'tĭ-zən)

n.
A weapon having a blade with lateral projections mounted on the end of a long shaft, used chiefly in the 16th and 17th centuries.
[French partizane, from Italian dialectal *(arma) partisana, partisan (weapon), feminine sing. of partisano, supporter. See partisan1.]




