party n 1: an organization to gain political power; "in 1992 Perot tried to organize a third party at the national level" [syn: political party] 2: an occasion on which people can assemble for social interaction and entertainment; "he planned a party to celebrate Bastille Day" 3: a band of people associated temporarily in some activity; "they organized a party to search for food"; "the company of cooks walked into the kitchen" [syn: company] 4: a group of people gathered together for pleasure; "she joined the party after dinner" 5: a person involved in legal proceedings; "the party of the first part" v : have or participate in a party; "The students were partying all night before the exam"

Adamite, American Party, Anti-Monopoly Party, Bull Moose Party, Communist Party, Conservative Party, Constitutional Union Party, Democratic Party, Democratic-Republican Party, Farmer-Labor Party, Federalist Party, Free Soil Party, Greenback Party, Kaffeeklatsch, Know-Nothing Party, Labour Party, Liberal Party, Liberal Republican Party, Liberty Party, Mardi Gras, National Republican Party, Populist Party, Progressive Party, Prohibition Party, Republican Party, Saturnalia, Socialist Labor Party, Socialist Party, Socialist Workers Party, Tammany Hall, Tory Party, Whig Party, a party to, accessory, accomplice, accusant, accuser, actor, adherents, advocate, affiliation, age group, aid, allegator, alliance, ally, appellant, approver, assemblee, assembly, assignation, associate, at home, bacchanal, bacchanalia, backer, ball, band, banquet, bash, battalion, beano, being, bevy, bipartisan, biparty, bloc, blowout, body, branch, brawl, breakaway group, brigade, bunch, bust, cabal, cadre, caller, calling party, camp, carnival, carousal, carouse, cast, cat, caucus, celebration, certifier, champion, chap, character, church, city hall, claimant, clique, club, cluster, coalition, cocktail party, coffee klatch, cohort, colloquium, combine, commission, committee, communion, community, company, complainant, complement, conclave, concourse, confederacy, confederate, confederation, confirmer, congregation, congress, contingent, contributor, conventicle, convention, convocation, copartner, corps, cosignatory, cosigner, costume party, cotenant, coterie, council, covey, creature, crew, crowd, customer, dance, date, debauch, defendant, defender, delator, denomination, denominational, detachment, detail, diet, dinner, dinner party, division, do, donation party, duck, earthling, eisteddfod, endorser, entertainment, ethnic group, exponent, faction, factional, fair, feast, federation, fellow, fellowship, festival, festive occasion, festivity, fete, field day, fiesta, fleet, forgathering, forum, frolic, function, gala, gala affair, gala day, gang, garden party, gathering, get-together, great doings, groundling, group, grouping, groupment, guarantor, guy, hand, head, helper, hen party, high jinks, homo, hop, house party, house-raising, housewarming, human, human being, impeacher, impugner, in-group, indictor, individual, informer, insurer, interest, interest group, interested, jamboree, joker, junta, junto, kermis, lawn party, league, levee, libelant, life, litigant, litigationist, litigator, living soul, machine, major party, man, mask, masque, masquerade, masquerade party, meet, meeting, minor party, minority group, mob, mortal, movement, multiple party system, nose, notary, notary public, offshoot, one, one-party system, opposition party, order, organization, orgy, out-group, outfit, pack, panel, partaker, partial, participant, participator, parties litigant, partisan, partner, party in power, peer group, person, personage, personality, persuasion, petitioner, phalanx, phoner, picnic, plaintiff, platoon, plenum, political machine, political party, posse, pressure group, prom, promoter, proponent, prosecutor, quorum, rally, ratifier, rave, reception, regiment, religious order, rendezvous, ring, romp, salon, saturnalia, schism, school, seance, seconder, sect, sectarian, sectarism, sectary, sectional, segment, session, set, shareholder, sharer, shindig, shindy, shower, side, signatory, signer, silent majority, single, sit-in, sitting, smoker, social gathering, society, soiree, somebody, someone, soul, splinter, splinter group, splinter party, spree, squad, stable, stag, stag party, string, subscriber, suitor, supporter, surprise party, symposium, synod, team, telephoner, tellurian, terran, the prosecution, third party, tribe, troop, troupe, turnout, two-party system, underwriter, union, unit, upholder, variety, version, vocal minority, waygoose, wayzgoose, wing, wingding, witness, worldling,

Party \Par"ty\, n.; pl. Parties. [F. parti and partie, fr. F. partir to part, divide, L. partire, partiri. See Part, v.] 1. A part or portion. [Obs.] ``The most party of the time.'' --Chaucer. 2. A number of persons united in opinion or action, as distinguished from, or opposed to, the rest of a community or association; esp., one of the parts into which a people is divided on questions of public policy. Win the noble Brutus to our party. --Shak. The peace both parties want is like to last. --Dryden. 3. A part of a larger body of company; a detachment; especially (Mil.), a small body of troops dispatched on special service. 4. A number of persons invited to a social entertainment; a select company; as, a dinner party; also, the entertainment itself; as, to give a party. 5. One concerned or interested in an affair; one who takes part with others; a participator; as, he was a party to the plot; a party to the contract. 6. The plaintiff or the defendant in a lawsuit, whether an individual, a firm, or corporation; a litigant. The cause of both parties shall come before the judges. --Ex. xxii. 9. 7. Hence, any certain person who is regarded as being opposed or antagonistic to another. It the jury found that the party slain was of English race, it had been adjudged felony. --Sir J. Davies. 8. Cause; side; interest. Have you nothing said Upon this Party 'gainst the Duke of Albany? --Shak. 9. A person; as, he is a queer party. [Now accounted a vulgarism.] Note: ``For several generations, our ancestors largely employed party for person; but this use of the word, when it appeared to be reviving, happened to strike, more particularly, the fancy of the vulgar; and the consequence has been, that the polite have chosen to leave it in their undisputed possession.'' --Fitzed. Hall. Party jury (Law), a jury composed of different parties, as one which is half natives and half foreigners. Party man, a partisan. --Swift. Party spirit, a factious and unreasonable temper, not uncommonly shown by party men. --Whately. Party verdict, a joint verdict. --Shak. Party wall. (a) (Arch.) A wall built upon the dividing line between two adjoining properties, usually having half its thickness on each property. (b) (Law) A wall that separates adjoining houses, as in a block or row.

Party \Par"ty\, a. [F. parti divided, fr. partir to divide. See Part, v., and cf. Partite.] 1. (Her.) Parted or divided, as in the direction or form of one of the ordinaries; as, an escutcheon party per pale. 2. Partial; favoring one party.

Party \Par"ty\, adv. Partly. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

PARTY, practice, contracts. When applied to practice, by party is understood either the plaintiff or defendant. In contracts, a party is one or more persons who engage to perform or receive the performance of some agreement. Vide Parties to contracts; Parties to 'actions; Parties to a suit in equity.

@-party :  /at'par-tee/ (Or "@-sign party" /at'si:n par'tee/, from the @ sign in an electronic mail address) A semi-closed party thrown for hackers at a science-fiction convention (especially the annual Worldcon); one must have an electronic mail address to get in, or at least be in company with someone who does. One of the most reliable opportunities for hackers to meet face-to-face with people who might otherwise be represented by mere phosphor dots on their screens. Compare boink. [{Jargon File] (1996-05-08)

@-party : /at'par`tee/ n. [from the @-sign in an Internet address] (alt. `@-sign party' /at'si:n par`tee/) A semi-closed party thrown for hackers at a science-fiction convention (esp. the annual World Science Fiction Convention or "Worldcon"); one must have a network address to get in, or at least be in company with someone who does. One of the most reliable opportunities for hackers to meet face to face with people who might otherwise be represented by mere phosphor dots on their screens. Compare boink. The first recorded @-party was held at the Westercon (a U.S. western regional SF convention) over the July 4th weekend in 1980. It is not clear exactly when the canonical @-party venue shifted to the Worldcon but it had certainly become established by Constellation in 1983. Sadly, the @-party tradition has been in decline since about 1996, mainly because having an @-address no longer functions as an effective lodge pin. We are informed, however, that rec.skydiving members have maintained a tradition of formation jumps in the shape of an @; picture at `http://www.birdwalk.com/DevilsWorkshop/favorites/source/6.html'. = A =