Dictionary.com

portative

[ pawr-tuh-tiv, pohr- ]
/ ˈpɔr tə tɪv, ˈpoʊr- /
Save This Word!

adjective
capable of being carried; portable.
having or pertaining to the power or function of carrying.
noun
Also called portative organ. a small portable pipe organ used especially during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of portative

1350–1400; Middle English portatif<Middle French. See port5, -ative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use portative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for portative

portative
/ (ˈpɔːtətɪv) /

adjective
a less common word for portable
concerned with the act of carrying

Word Origin for portative

C14: from French, from Latin portāre to carry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK