portative
Americanadjective
-
capable of being carried; portable.
-
having or pertaining to the power or function of carrying.
noun
adjective
-
a less common word for portable
-
concerned with the act of carrying
Etymology
Origin of portative
1350–1400; Middle English portatif < Middle French. See port 5, -ative
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Leading from a portative keyboard in front of the orchestra, he brought a beautifully blended sound from the 16 voices of the chorus, rich in dynamic variety and always sensitive to Bach’s piquant dissonances.
From Washington Post • Mar. 19, 2018
Kahane conducted from an inaudible harpsichord and, in the middle section, a barely audible portative organ.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2016
Kent Tritle, who conducts three “Messiah” performances with two different choruses at Carnegie Hall next week, was a comforting presence at the portative organ; Philip Smith handled trumpet solos with blazing assurance.
From New York Times • Dec. 14, 2011
Mr. Koopman was his usual animated self, conducting from a portative organ and adding fillips to cadences: sometimes illuminating, sometimes weirdly perky.
From New York Times • Apr. 16, 2011
They stopped, with an unexpected grace-note on the portative, and Lancelot said: “Your voice is good. I’m afraid mine is getting rusty.”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
