portfolio

American  

[pawrt-foh-lee-oh, pohrt-] / pɔrtˈfoʊ liˌoʊ, poʊrt- /

noun

portfolios plural

1. a flat, portable case for carrying loose papers, drawings, etc.

2. such a case for carrying documents of a government department.

3. the total holdings of the securities, commercial paper, etc., of a financial institution or private investor.

4. the office or post of a minister of state or member of a cabinet.

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portfolio British  

/ pɔːtˈfəʊlɪəʊ /

noun

1. a flat case, esp of leather, used for carrying maps, drawings, etc

2. the contents of such a case, such as drawings, paintings, or photographs, that demonstrate recent work

   an art student's portfolio

3. such a case used for carrying ministerial or state papers

4. the responsibilities or role of the head of a government department

   the portfolio for foreign affairs

5. a cabinet minister who is not responsible for any government department

6. the complete investments held by an individual investor or by a financial organization

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• portfolios
  plural

Etymology

Origin of portfolio

1715–25; < Italian portafoglio, equivalent to porta-, stem of portare to carry (< Latin portāre ) + foglio leaf, sheet (< Latin folium; see foil ²)

Explanation

A portfolio is a large, flat briefcase used to hold papers and other loose materials, like maps or artwork. A portfolio is usually used to transport important documents, like examples of your graphic design work if you’re an artist. The noun portfolio has its roots in the similarly-sounding Latin portafoglio “a case for carrying loose papers.” Notice, within that word, two other words — there’s porta, meaning “carry,” and foglio, meaning “sheet, leaf.” In English, think portable folio, or papers that can be carried. Also, portfolio can refer to the duties of a government official or the collection of investments held by a financial company.

Example Sentences

Spanish investor Global Portfolio Investments committed 100 million euros, contingent on a valuation of up to 1.7 billion euros.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026

In the Fix My Portfolio column, Beth Pinsker provided advice for a four-point midyear money checkup.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026

Portfolio manager Matthew Tuttle says he was inspired to create the fund by videos that purport to show alien spacecraft moving across the skies in anomalous ways.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Their findings were published in Communications Earth & Environment, a Nature Portfolio journal.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2026

Portfolio, pōrt-fō′li-ō, n. a portable case for loose papers, drawings, &c.: a collection of such papers: the office of a minister of state.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various