Impart

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪmˈpɑːt/

Definitions

1. To convey knowledge, information, or a quality to another person or thing
2. To convey attributes, knowledge, or feelings to another person or entity through communication or teaching
3. To communicate facts, knowledge, or skills to someone ; to bestow or give a particular quality or characteristic to something

Etymology: "Impart" began as a verb of division. Its Latin ancestor, "impartiri" in some forms "impertiri," combined the prefix "in-" with "partiri," to divide or share out, from "pars," a part. To impart something was literally to put a part of it into someone else's hands, so the sense of giving or sharing was there from the start, and the notion of passing on knowledge grew naturally from it. The word reached English in Middle English as "imparten," borrowed from Middle French "impartir" and "empartir." The French forms carried the same idea of sharing out a portion, and English kept that sense of distributing something rather than simply handing it over whole. Over time the object being shared shifted from material goods to intangible things. Modern English uses "impart" for qualities, wisdom, feelings, and even flavors, as when a spice imparts warmth to a dish. The physical act of dividing a loaf has become the act of letting someone else take a share of what you know.

Synonyms: convey, communicate, transmit, bestow, grant

Antonyms: withhold, conceal, suppress, retain, keep