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portative

[ pawr-tuh-tiv, pohr- ]
/ ˈpɔr tə tɪv, ˈpoʊr- /

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.

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Nearby words

  1. portal-systemic encephalopathy,
  2. portal-to-portal,
  3. portal-to-portal pay,
  4. portamento,
  5. portance,
  6. portative organ,
  7. portcullis,
  8. porte,
  9. porte-cochere,
  10. portend

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. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for portative organ

portative organ

noun

music a small portable organ with arm-operated bellows popular in medieval times

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