How does 'to partake of' mean 'be characterized by'?

Question

Please help me dig deeper than the definition below, which I already understand and so ask NOT about. I heed the Etymological Fallacy. But what are some right ways of interpreting the etymology, to make the definition feel reasonable and intuitive?

3. partake of [Oxford Dictionaries] = Be characterized by (a quality)

How does (the particle) of  cause partake of to diverge in meaning, from 'partake in' ?

I don't quote Etymonline, because it http://www.thesaurus.com/#discusses only the different 'partake in', about which I'm NOT asking here.

Fattie · Answer

it just means ..

"the birth of twins became an event which partook of the mythic"

it "takes from" that Large Quality. It's that simple.

(indeed, "event .. partook of the mythic" - or very similar phrases - is about the only way you'd use that sense!)

It's almost like saying ... "joined in"

"the dot com joined in the general Apple frisson of the 2000s..."

"the dot com partook in the general Apple frisson of the 2000s..."

Ashwin Ramaswami · Answer

Well, "partake of" generally means "to take part in".

So, if you "partake of" a certain quality, that means you take part in a certain quality. Here's an example:

Many recent books partake of Faulkner's wordiness.

So, each new book "joins in" with the quality, and thus becomes part of the group (wordy books) that is characterized by it.

How does 'to partake of' mean 'be characterized by'?

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