bipartite
Americanadjective
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divided into or consisting of two parts.
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Law. being in two corresponding parts.
a bipartite contract.
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shared by two; joint.
a bipartite pact; bipartite rule.
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Botany. divided into two parts nearly to the base, as a leaf.
adjective
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consisting of or having two parts
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affecting or made by two parties; bilateral
a bipartite agreement
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botany (esp of some leaves) divided into two parts almost to the base
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bipartite
1500–10; < Latin bipartītus divided into two parts, bisected (past participle of bipartīre ). See bi- 1, part, -ite 2
Explanation
Anything bipartite has two parts or features. A bipartite agreement has two elements. Words starting with bi usually involve two things, and that's the very definition of this word: things that have two parts are bipartite. It's often used (in botany, for example) to describe two-part things joined at the base, like leaves. An animal’s hoof that has two halves is bipartite. For abstract things, the word usually suggests entirely separate parts forming a single thing: bipartite agreements/rules/legislatures. If something has three parts instead of two, it's tripartite.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As a result, 10 athletes were then awarded bipartite commission invitations to compete at the Winter Paralympics.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026
Brian De Palma’s adaptation of John Farris’ novel wasn’t nearly as popular as the director’s classic “Carrie,” probably due its complicated, bipartite story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2021
There’s a workable comic framework in this bipartite structure.
From New York Times ● May 27, 2020
Acta began its life in 2006, as part of a bipartite conversation between the US and Japan.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 5, 2012
He held that the Son was a torch lighted at the torch of the Father, that Father and Son are a bipartite light.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4 "Hero" to "Hindu Chronology" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
