porter

[ pawr-ter, pohr- ]

/ ˈpɔr tər, ˈpoʊr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR porter ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person hired to carry burdens or baggage, as at a railroad station or a hotel.

a person who does cleaning and maintenance work in a building, factory, store, etc.

an attendant in a railroad parlor car or sleeping car.

Nearby words

porte, porte-cochere, portend, portent, portentous, porter, porter chair, porter's sign, porter, cole, porter, david, porter, david dixon

Origin of porter

1350–1400; Middle English, variant of portour < Middle French porteour < Late Latin portātōr- (stem of portātor). See port⁵, -or²

Definition for porter (2 of 5)

porter

[ pawr-ter, pohr- ]

/ ˈpɔr tər, ˈpoʊr- /

noun

a person who has charge of a door or gate; doorkeeper.

Roman Catholic Church. ostiary(def 1).

Origin of porter

1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French < Late Latin portārius gatekeeper. See port⁴, -er²

Definition for porter (3 of 5)

porter

[ pawr-ter, pohr- ]

/ ˈpɔr tər, ˈpoʊr- /

noun

a heavy, dark-brown ale made with malt browned by drying at a high temperature.

Origin of porter

First recorded in 1720–30; short for porter's ale, apparently orig. brewed for porters

Definition for porter (4 of 5)

Porter

[ pawr-ter, pohr- ]

/ ˈpɔr tər, ˈpoʊr- /

noun

Cole,1893–1964, U.S. composer.

David,1780–1843, U.S. naval officer.

his sonDavid Dix·on

[dik-suh n] /ˈdɪk sən/, 1813–91, Union naval officer in the Civil War.

Edwin Stanton,1870–1941, U.S. film director.

GeneGene Stratton Porter, 1868–1924, U.S. novelist.

Sir George,1920–2002, British chemist: Nobel prize 1967.

Katherine Anne,1890–1980, U.S. writer.

Noah,1811–92, U.S. educator, writer, and lexicographer.

Rodney Robert,1917–85, British biochemist: Nobel Prize in medicine 1972.

William SydneyO. Henry, 1862–1910, U.S. short-story writer.

a male given name.

Definition for porter (5 of 5)

port

[ pawrt, pohrt ]

/ pɔrt, poʊrt /

noun

the left-hand side of a vessel or aircraft, facing forward.

adjective

pertaining to or designating port.

located on the left side of a vessel or aircraft.

verb (used with or without object)

to turn or shift to the port, or left, side.

Origin of port

First recorded in 1570–80; special use of port⁴

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for porter

Porter was convicted and shortly after sentenced to death by a judge who compared him to a shark in a feeding frenzy.
Wrongly Imprisoned for 15 Years Thanks to an Innocence Project|Jacob Siegel|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At that time, with the eyewitnesses all pointing at Porter, the case seemed open and shut.
Wrongly Imprisoned for 15 Years Thanks to an Innocence Project|Jacob Siegel|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was monumental, a great victory not only for Porter and the Innocence Project, but for the principle of justice.
Wrongly Imprisoned for 15 Years Thanks to an Innocence Project|Jacob Siegel|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The president of the Montgomery NAACP, Pullman porter E. D. Nixon, saw an opportunity.
How Rock and Roll Killed Jim Crow|Dennis McNally|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Months later, Porter still shakes his head while telling the story.
Peyton Manning and Tom Brady Don’t Control Their Own Legacies|Evin Demirel|January 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Carry along a waterproof sheet to give the porter when he makes up the berth.
If Your Baby Must Travel in Wartime|United States Department of Labor, Children's Bureau
I went to the door and said I wanted my mother; the porter roughly told me to go away.
The Narrative of Gordon Sellar Who Emigrated to Canada in 1825|Gordon Sellar
"It is well," said the porter; the gate was unbarred, and the Hodja permitted to enter.
Told in the Coffee House|Cyrus Adler
He had been accused of attempting to kill his porter with a dagger, but he had only shown him a crucifix.
Letters to an Unknown|Prosper Mrime
We copy a description of the march of a regiment in Porter's corps.
The Seventh Regiment|George L. Wood

British Dictionary definitions for porter (1 of 11)

porter

/ (ˈpɔːtə) /

noun

a person employed to carry luggage, parcels, supplies, etc, esp at a railway station or hotel

(in hospitals) a person employed to move patients from place to place

US and Canadian a railway employee who waits on passengers, esp in a sleeper

East African a manual labourer

Word Origin for porter

C14: from Old French portour, from Late Latin portātōr, from Latin portāre to carry

British Dictionary definitions for porter (2 of 11)

porter

/ (ˈpɔːtə) /

noun

mainly British a person in charge of a gate or door; doorman or gatekeeper

a person employed by a university or college as a caretaker and doorkeeper who also answers enquiries

a person in charge of the maintenance of a building, esp a block of flats

Also called: ostiary RC Church a person ordained to what was formerly the lowest in rank of the minor orders

Word Origin for porter

C13: from Old French portier, from Late Latin portārius doorkeeper, from Latin porta door

British Dictionary definitions for porter (3 of 11)

porter

/ (ˈpɔːtə) /

noun

British a dark sweet ale brewed from black malt

Word Origin for porter

C18: shortened from porter's ale, apparently because it was a favourite beverage of porters

British Dictionary definitions for porter (4 of 11)

Porter

/ (ˈpɔːtə) /

noun

Cole. 1893–1964, US composer and lyricist of musical comedies. His most popular songs include Night and Day and Let's do It

George, Baron Porter of Luddenham. 1920–2002, British chemist, who shared a Nobel prize for chemistry in 1967 for his work on flash photolysis

Katherine Anne. 1890–1980, US short-story writer and novelist. Her best-known collections of stories are Flowering Judas (1930) and Pale Horse, Pale Rider (1939)

Rodney Robert. 1917–85, British biochemist: shared the Nobel prize for physiology or medicine 1972 for determining the structure of an antibody

William Sidney. original name of O. Henry

British Dictionary definitions for porter (5 of 11)

port

/ (pɔːt) /

noun

a town or place alongside navigable water with facilities for the loading and unloading of ships

See port of entry

Word Origin for port

Old English, from Latin portus harbour, port

British Dictionary definitions for porter (6 of 11)

port

/ (pɔːt) /

noun

Also called (formerly): larboard

the left side of an aircraft or vessel when facing the nose or bow
(as modifier)the port bow Compare starboard (def. 1)

verb

to turn or be turned towards the port

Word Origin for port

C17: origin uncertain

British Dictionary definitions for porter (7 of 11)

port

/ (pɔːt) /

noun

a sweet fortified dessert wine

Word Origin for port

C17: after Oporto, Portugal, from where it came originally

British Dictionary definitions for porter (8 of 11)

port

⁴

/ (pɔːt) /

noun

nautical

an opening in the side of a ship, fitted with a watertight door, for access to the holds
See porthole (def. 1)

a small opening in a wall, armoured vehicle, etc, for firing through

an aperture, esp one controlled by a valve, by which fluid enters or leaves the cylinder head of an engine, compressor, etc

electronics a logic circuit for the input and ouput of data

mainly Scot a gate or portal in a town or fortress

Word Origin for port

Old English, from Latin porta gate

British Dictionary definitions for porter (9 of 11)

port

⁵

/ (pɔːt) military /

verb

(tr) to carry (a rifle, etc) in a position diagonally across the body with the muzzle near the left shoulder

noun

this position

Word Origin for port

C14: from Old French, from porter to carry, from Latin portāre

British Dictionary definitions for porter (10 of 11)

port

⁶

/ (pɔːt) /

verb

(tr) computing to change (programs) from one system to another

Word Origin for port

C20: probably from port 4

British Dictionary definitions for porter (11 of 11)

port

⁷

/ (pɔːt) /

noun

Australian (esp in Queensland) a suitcase or school case

Word Origin for port

C20: shortened from portmanteau

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 porter (1 of 8)

porter

n.1

"person who carries," late 14c. (mid-13c. as a surname), from Anglo-French portour, Old French porteor "porter, bearer; reporter" (12c.), from Late Latin portatorem (nominative portator) "carrier, one who carries," from past participle stem of Latin portare "to carry" (see port (n.1)).

Word Origin and History for porter (1 of 8)

porter

n.2

"doorkeeper, janitor," mid-13c. (late 12c. as a surname), from Anglo-French portour, Old French portier "gatekeeper" (12c.), from Late Latin portarius "gatekeeper," from Latin porta "gate" (see port (n.2)).

Word Origin and History for porter (2 of 8)

porter

n.3

type of dark beer, 1734, short for porter's ale (1721), from porter (n.1), because the beer was made for or preferred by porters and other laborers, being cheap and strong.

Word Origin and History for porter (3 of 8)

port

n.1

"harbor," Old English port "harbor, haven," reinforced by Old French port "harbor, port; mountain pass;" Old English and Old French words both from Latin portus "port, harbor," originally "entrance, passage," figuratively "place of refuge, assylum," from PIE *prtu- "a going, a passage," from root *per- (2) "to lead, pass over" (cf. Sanskrit parayati "carries over;" Greek poros "journey, passage, way," peirein "to pierce, run through;" Latin porta "gate, door," portare "passage," peritus "experienced;" Avestan peretush "passage, ford, bridge;" Armenian hordan "go forward;" Welsh rhyd "ford;" Old Church Slavonic pariti "to fly;" Old English faran "to go, journey," Old Norse fjörðr "inlet, estuary").

Meaning "left side of a ship" (looking forward from the stern) is attested from 1540s, from notion of "the side facing the harbor" (when a ship is docked). It replaced larboard in common usage to avoid confusion with starboard; officially so by Admiralty order of 1844 and U.S. Navy Department notice of 1846. Figurative sense "place of refuge" is attested from early 15c.; phrase any port in a storm first recorded 1749. A port of call (1810) is one paid a scheduled visit by a ship.

Word Origin and History for porter (4 of 8)

port

n.2

"gateway," Old English port "portal, door, gate, entrance," from Old French porte "gate, entrance," from Latin porta "city gate, gate; door, entrance," from PIE root *per- (see port (n.1)). Specific meaning "porthole, opening in the side of a ship" is attested from c.1300.

Word Origin and History for porter (5 of 8)

port

n.3

"bearing, mien," c.1300, from Old French port, from porter "to carry," from Latin portare (see port (n.1)).

Word Origin and History for porter (6 of 8)

port

n.4

type of sweet dark-red wine, 1690s, shortened from Oporto, city in northwest Portugal from which the wine originally was shipped to England; from O Porto "the port;" (see port (n.1)).

Word Origin and History for porter (7 of 8)

port

"to carry," from Middle French porter, from Latin portare "to carry" (see port (n.1)). Related: Ported; porting.

Medicine definitions for porter

Porter

[ pôr′tər ]

Rodney Robert 1917-1985

British biochemist. He shared a 1972 Nobel Prize for his research on the chemical structure and nature of antibodies.

Science definitions for porter (1 of 2)

Porter

[ pôr′tər ]

Rodney Robert 1917-1985

British biochemist who shared with George Edelman the 1972 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine for their study of the chemical structure of antibodies.

Science definitions for porter (2 of 2)

port

[ pôrt ]

An opening, as in a cylinder or valve face, for the passage of steam or fluid.

A place where data can pass into or out of a central processing unit, computer, or peripheral. With central processing units, a port is a fixed set of connections for incoming and outgoing data or instructions. With computers and peripherals, a port is generally a socket into which a connector can be plugged.

Idioms and Phrases with porter

port

see any port in a storm.

porter

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Origin of porter

Definition for.css-ylq2vz{color:#1a1a1a;} porter (2 of 5)

porter

noun

Origin of porter

Definition for porter (3 of 5)

porter

noun

Origin of porter

Definition for porter (4 of 5)

Porter

noun

Definition for porter (5 of 5)

port

noun

adjective

verb (used with or without object)

Origin of port

Examples from the Web for porter

British Dictionary definitions for porter (1 of 11)

porter

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British Dictionary definitions for porter (2 of 11)

porter

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British Dictionary definitions for porter (3 of 11)

porter

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British Dictionary definitions for porter (4 of 11)

Porter

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British Dictionary definitions for porter (5 of 11)

port

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British Dictionary definitions for porter (6 of 11)

port

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verb

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British Dictionary definitions for porter (7 of 11)

port

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British Dictionary definitions for porter (8 of 11)

port

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British Dictionary definitions for porter (9 of 11)

port

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British Dictionary definitions for porter (10 of 11)

port

verb

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British Dictionary definitions for porter (11 of 11)

port

noun

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Word Origin and History for porter (1 of 8)

porter

Word Origin and History for porter (1 of 8)

porter

Word Origin and History for porter (2 of 8)

porter

Word Origin and History for porter (3 of 8)

port

Word Origin and History for porter (4 of 8)

port

Word Origin and History for porter (5 of 8)

noun

Definition for porter (2 of 5)