portage
[ pawr-tij, pohr-, or for 2, 3, 5, 6, pawr-tahzh ]
/ ˈpɔr tɪdʒ, ˈpoʊr-, or for 2, 3, 5, 6, pɔrˈtɑʒ /
noun
the act of carrying; carriage.
the carrying of boats, goods, etc., overland from one navigable water to another.
the route over which this is done.
the cost of carriage.
verb (used without object), por·taged, por·tag·ing.
to make a portage: On this stretch of the river, we have to portage for a mile.
verb (used with object), por·taged, por·tag·ing.
to carry (something) over a portage; make a portage with: We portaged our canoe around the rapids.
Nearby words
Definition for portage (2 of 2)
Portage
[ pawr-tij, pohr- ]
/ ˈpɔr tɪdʒ, ˈpoʊr- /
noun
a city in SW Michigan.
a town in NW Indiana.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for portage
British Dictionary definitions for portage
portage
/ (ˈpɔːtɪdʒ, French pɔrtaʒ) /
noun
the act of carrying; transport
the cost of carrying or transporting
the act or process of transporting boats, supplies, etc, overland between navigable waterways
the route overland used for such transport
verb
to transport (boats, supplies, etc) overland between navigable waterways
Word Origin for portage
C15: from French, from Old French porter to carry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for portage
portage
early 15c., "action of carrying," said to be from Old French portage, Medieval Latin portaticum, though the meaning of these was "tax paid on entering a town," from Latin portare "to carry" (see port (n.1)). Sense of "carrying of boats from one navigable water to another" is from 1690s, reinforced in Canadian French.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper