Other forms: partialities
Partiality is unfair favouring of one side, or a special liking. Show no partiality, accused of partiality, a partiality for cake.
The two senses are far apart in tone: partiality in a judge is a serious charge, and a partiality for chocolate is a mild confession. Both come from taking a part rather than the whole. Note impartial, which is the useful opposite.
1nounpartialityUnfair favouring of one side.
“The referee was accused of partiality after giving three penalties to the home team.”
2nounspecialA special liking for something.
“My grandmother had a partiality for strong tea and ginger biscuits.”
partiality is a bias, or a liking.
Medieval Latin partialitas comes from pars, a part — favouring one part rather than the whole.
Medieval Latin
partiālitās
Middle French
partialité
Middle English
parcialite,parcialtee,parcyalte,partialte,percialite
English, today
partiality
From Middle English parcialite,parcialtee,parcyalte,partialte,percialite, from Middle French partialité and its etymon Medieval Latin partiālitās. a doublet of partialitas.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in A Song of Ice and Fire