bipartite
Americanadjective
-
divided into or consisting of two parts.
-
Law. being in two corresponding parts.
a bipartite contract.
-
shared by two; joint.
a bipartite pact; bipartite rule.
-
Botany. divided into two parts nearly to the base, as a leaf.
adjective
-
consisting of or having two parts
-
affecting or made by two parties; bilateral
a bipartite agreement
-
botany (esp of some leaves) divided into two parts almost to the base
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
The IPC, with the support of international federations - in this case FIS - decides who receives the bipartite slots after receiving recommendations from the federation.
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026
Ohtani learned he had left knee bipartite patella, a congenital condition caused when the bones in the kneecap do not fuse after birth, in February 2019.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 17, 2020
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
The bipartite character of Rossetti's sonnets is marked, in editions of his poems, by the printing of the octave and sestet with a space between them.
From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Alden, Raymond MacDonald
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.
