portfolio
[pawrt-foh-lee-oh, pohrt-]
- a flat, portable case for carrying loose papers, drawings, etc.
- such a case for carrying documents of a government department.
- the total holdings of the securities, commercial paper, etc., of a financial institution or private investor.
- the office or post of a minister of state or member of a cabinet.
Compare minister without portfolio.
Origin of portfolio
1715–25; < Italian portafoglio, equivalent to porta-, stem of portare to carry (< Latin portāre) + foglio leaf, sheet (< Latin folium; see foil2)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for portfolio
Contemporary Examples
And they resulted in the Fed sitting on a portfolio of bonds and other assets worth more than $4 trillion.
A portfolio of A-list celebrities means Brito has a great reputation.
More tips poured in, and her portfolio of subjects continued to grow, reaching now nearly 50 in all.
If she runs for president, Clinton will have several questions to answer about her stewardship of the Iraq portfolio.
Nobody envied the Secretary of Fine Arts, either his cabinet position or his portfolio.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the ShowRobert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014
Historical Examples
And if he lays it by, what becomes of his portfolio when he is unchained for a holiday?
The Uncommercial TravellerCharles Dickens
Francois asked him, as he placed his copy of Mantegna's figure in his portfolio.
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
He was an enthusiast, and his portfolio was full of schemes of far-reaching magnitude.
A Zola DictionaryJ. G. Patterson
I asked the Queen to whom she thought I ought to commit the portfolio.
Again the distracted man ransacked his papers and shook his portfolio.
A Nest of SpiesPierre Souvestre
portfolio
- a flat case, esp of leather, used for carrying maps, drawings, etc
- the contents of such a case, such as drawings, paintings, or photographs, that demonstrate recent workan art student's portfolio
- such a case used for carrying ministerial or state papers
- the responsibilities or role of the head of a government departmentthe portfolio for foreign affairs
- Minister without portfolio a cabinet minister who is not responsible for any government department
- the complete investments held by an individual investor or by a financial organization
Word Origin
C18: from Italian portafoglio, from portāre to carry + foglio leaf, paper, from Latin folium leaf
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for portfolio
n.
1722, porto folio; 1719 as port folio, from Italian portafoglio "a case for carrying loose papers," from porta, imperative of portare "to carry" (see port (n.1)) + foglio "sheet, leaf," from Latin folium (see folio). Meaning "official documents of a state department" is from 1835. A minister without portfolio is one not in charge of a particular department. Meaning "collection of securities held" is from 1930; portfolio investment is from 1955.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper