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Porte

[pawrt, pohrt]
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noun
  1. the former Ottoman court or government in Turkey.
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Origin of Porte

short for Sublime Porte High Gate, French translation of the Turkish official title Babιâli, with reference to the palace gate at which justice was administered
Official name Sublime Porte.

La Porte

[luh pawrt, pohrt]
noun
  1. a city in NW Indiana.
  2. a town in S Texas.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for porte

Historical Examples

  • His residence is at the Porte, where he has one of the splendid palaces.

    Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327

    Various

  • He quickened his steps in the direction of the Porte de Rome.

  • When he again joined the insurgents they had reached the Porte de Rome.

  • How is this difficulty about the new Greek envoy to the Porte to end?

    Lord Kilgobbin

    Charles Lever

  • But it seemed useless for me to sit at the porte waiting to be let in.

British Dictionary definitions for porte

Porte

noun
  1. Also called: Sublime Porte the court or government of the Ottoman Empire
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Word Origin

C17: shortened from French Sublime Porte High Gate, rendering the Turkish title Babi Ali, the imperial gate, which was regarded as the seat of government
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

Word Origin and History for porte

Porte

n.

"Ottoman court at Constantinople," c.1600, from French, in full, la Sublime Porte, translation of Arabic al-Bab al-'Ali, literally "lofty gate," official name of the central office of the Ottoman government (cf. Vatican for "the Papacy," White House for "the United States"). Supposedly a reference to the ancient custom of holding royal audience in the doorway of a king's palace or tent.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper