partial (redirected from partially)

partial

1. Botany

a. constituting part of a larger structure

b. used for only part of the life cycle of a plant

c. (of a parasite) not exclusively parasitic

2. Maths designating or relating to an operation in which only one of a set of independent variables is considered at a time

3. Music Acoustics any of the component tones of a single musical sound, including both those that belong to the harmonic series of the sound and those that do not

4. Maths a partial derivative

---

partial [′pär·shəl]

(acoustics)

Also known as partial tone.

A simple sinusoidal physical component of a complex tone.

A sound sensation component that is distinguishable as a simple tone, cannot be further analyzed by the ear, and contributes to the character of the complex sound; the frequency of a partial may be higher or lower than the basic frequency and may be an integral multiple or submultiple of the basic frequency.