Where does “port” come from?
port (Dutch) comes from French port, from French porter, from English porter, from Middle English porter, from Old French portour, from Old French porter, from Old French -ment, from Latin -mentum — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs.
port (Dutch): postage; port, port wine, Porto
Definitions
- postage; port, port wine, Porto
Ancestry of “port”, step by step
port traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French port
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | port | port, harbour; port, harbour city; refuge |
| 2 | French | porter | to carry; to support, to bear; to wear |
| 3 | English | porter | A person who carries luggage and related objects;... |
| 4 | Middle English | porter | gatekeeper, doorkeeper |
| 5 | Old French | portour | carrier; bearer |
| 6 | Old French | porter | to carry; to carry a child |
| 7 | Old French | -ment | Used to form adverbs, most of the time equivalent... |
| 8 | Latin | -mentum | instrument, medium, or result of; e.g.... |
| 9 | Latin | -menta | nominative plural of -mentum; accusative plural... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -mn̥ | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs |
via English Port
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Port | University of Portsmouth, used especially following post-nominal letters indicating status as a graduate |
| 2 | English | portfolio | A case for carrying papers, drawings,... |
| 3 | Italian | portafoglio | wallet, billfold; portfolio |
| 4 | Italian | foglio | sheet |
| 5 | Latin | folium | a leaf; a petal; a sheet or leaf of paper |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *foljom | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰolh₃yom | leaf |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |