Where does “portray” come from?
Portray comes from Middle French portraire, from Latin protraho meaning to draw forth, composed of pro and traho meaning to draw, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots expressing forward motion and pulling.
portray (English): To paint or draw the likeness of; To describe in...
Definitions
- To paint or draw the likeness of; To describe in...
Ancestry of “portray”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle French | portraire | to portray |
| 2 | Latin | protraho | I drag, pull, draw or bring forth or out; I bring... |
| 3 | Latin | prō- | — |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
Words derived from “portray”