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participle
[ pahr-tuh-sip-uhl, -suh-puhl ]
/ ˈpɑr təˌsɪp əl, -sə pəl /
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Definition of participle
noun Grammar.
an adjective or complement to certain auxiliaries that is regularly derived from the verb in many languages and refers to participation in the action or state of the verb; a verbal form used as an adjective. It does not specify person or number in English, but may have a subject or object, show tense, etc., as burning, in a burning candle, or devoted in his devoted friend.
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Origin of participle
1350–1400; Middle English <Middle French, variant of participe<Latin participium, derivative of particeps taking part, equivalent to parti- (stem of pars) part + -cep- (combining form of capere to take) + -s nominative singular ending
grammar notes for participle
Words nearby participle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use participle in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for participle
participle
/ (ˈpɑːtɪsɪpəl, pɑːˈtɪsɪpəl) /
noun
a nonfinite form of verbs, in English and other languages, used adjectivally and in the formation of certain compound tensesSee also present participle, past participle
Derived forms of participle
participial (ˌpɑːtɪˈsɪpɪəl), adjective, nounparticipially, adverbWord Origin for participle
C14: via Old French from Latin participium, from particeps partaker, from pars part + capere to take
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for participle
participle
[ (pahr-tuh-sip-uhl) ]
notes for participle
A “dangling” participle is one that is not clearly connected to the word it modifies: “Standing at the corner, two children walked past me.” A better version of this example would be, “While I was standing at the corner, two children walked past me.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.