Party

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

Party \Par"ty\ (p[aum]r"t[y^]), n.; pl. {Parties}
   (p[aum]r"t[i^]z). [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.
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   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.
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            Win the noble Brutus to our party.    --Shak.
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            The peace both parties want is like to last.
                                                  --Dryden.
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   3. A part of a larger body of company; a detachment;
      especially (Mil.), a small body of troops dispatched on
      special service.
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   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.
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   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.
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   6. The plaintiff or the defendant in a lawsuit, whether an
      individual, a firm, or corporation; a litigant.
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            The cause of both parties shall come before the
            judges.                               --Ex. xxii. 9.
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   7. Hence, any certain person who is regarded as being opposed
      or antagonistic to another.
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            If the jury found that the party slain was of
            English race, it had been adjudged felony. --Sir J.
                                                  Davies.
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   8. Cause; side; interest.
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            Have you nothing said
            Upon this Party 'gainst the Duke of Albany? --Shak.
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   9. A person; as, he is a queer party. [Now accounted a
      vulgarism.]
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   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.
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   {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.
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Party \Par"ty\, adv.
   Partly. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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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.
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   2. Partial; favoring one party; partisan.
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            I will be true judge, and not party.  --Chaucer.
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   {Charter party}. See under {Charter}.
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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. 
    

366 Moby Thesaurus words for "party":
      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