Partwise

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner divided into parts or sections, rather than as a whole
2. Describing something arranged or done partially or segmentally
3. Expressing the division of a whole into separate components or pieces

Etymology: "Partwise" is a plain compound: "part" joined to the suffix "-wise," which comes from the Old English "wise," meaning "manner" or "way," the same word that gives us "likewise" and "otherwise." Put together, "partwise" means "in the manner of parts," so something arranged or done piecemeal, one section at a time rather than as a whole. The suffix has been productive for centuries, which is why English can form new words like this on the spot. Its older sense of "way of doing" survives in combinations such as "clockwise," where it describes the direction of movement. "Partwise" follows the same pattern, turning a noun into an adverb that describes how something is divided up or carried out.