parziali

Parziali is the plural of the Italian adjective parziale, meaning partial, incomplete, or limited in extent or scope. It is used across various domains to describe something that is not whole or fully developed, or to indicate a portion rather than a total amount. In Italian grammar, parziale is an adjective and parziali is its plural form for both masculine and feminine nouns.

In mathematics and related disciplines, parziali occurs in several standard expressions. Derivate parziali (partial derivatives) refer to the derivatives of a function of several variables with respect to one variable while holding others constant. Somme parziali (partial sums) are the sums of the first n terms of a sequence or series. Frazioni parziali (partial fractions) describe a decomposition of a rational function into simpler fractions, a technique commonly used in integral calculus. The term also appears in phrases such as valori parziali or risultati parziali to denote provisional or incomplete results.

In broader scientific and everyday usage, parziali can describe partial knowledge, partial results, or partial progress, signaling that a larger whole remains incomplete or is being considered in parts. The counterpart of parziale in many contexts is completo or intero, meaning complete or whole.

Etymology traces parziale to Latin partialis, indicating a relationship to part or portion. See also parziale, parzialità, frazioni parziali, and derivate parziali for related terms.