Where does “porthole” come from?
Porthole comes from English portal and English hole, ultimately from Latin porta meaning door or gate, and Latin oleum meaning oil, derived from Ancient Greek ἔλαιον and Proto-Indo-European per-.
porthole (English): A gunport; an opening in the hull of a ship...
Definitions
- A gunport; an opening in the hull of a ship...
Ancestry of “porthole”, step by step
porthole traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
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- | — |
via English hole
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hole | A hollow place or cavity; an excavation; a pit;... |
| 2 | Middle English | hole | healthy; safe; whole, complete, full |
| 3 | Old English | hol | a hole, a hollow; calumny; slander |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hol | hollow; hole |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hulą | a hollow; depression; hole |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hulaz | hollow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |