Where does “purport” come from?
Purport comes from Anglo-Norman purporter, a verb meaning to carry or convey, which developed into Middle English purporten with the sense of bearing or supporting a meaning.
purport (English): To convey, imply, or profess; To intend; import,...
Definitions
- To convey, imply, or profess; To intend; import,...
Ancestry of “purport”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | purporten | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | purporter | Alternative form of porporter |
| 3 | Old French | porter | to carry; to carry a child |
| 4 | Old French | -ment | Used to form adverbs, most of the time equivalent... |
| 5 | Latin | -mentum | instrument, medium, or result of; e.g.... |
| 6 | Latin | -menta | nominative plural of -mentum; accusative plural... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -mn̥ | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs |