Where does “port” come from?
port (French) comes 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, from Latin -menta — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs.
port (French): port, harbour; port, harbour city; refuge
Definitions
- port, harbour; port, harbour city; refuge
Ancestry of “port”, step by step
port traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via French porter
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | porter | to carry; to support, to bear; to wear |
| 2 | English | porter | A person who carries luggage and related objects;... |
| 3 | Middle English | porter | gatekeeper, doorkeeper |
| 4 | Old French | portour | carrier; bearer |
| 5 | Old French | porter | to carry; to carry a child |
| 6 | Old French | -ment | Used to form adverbs, most of the time equivalent... |
| 7 | Latin | -mentum | instrument, medium, or result of; e.g.... |
| 8 | Latin | -menta | nominative plural of -mentum; accusative plural... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -mn̥ | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs |
via Italian porto
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | porto | port, harbour; port; carriage |
| 2 | Portuguese | Porto | Oporto |
| 3 | Old Portuguese | porto | — |
| 4 | Latin | Portus Cale | Oporto |
| 5 | Latin | Portus | ” or, later, “Portus Rōmae”}} Portus large artificial harbour of Ancient Rome |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | portus | harbour |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pértus | crossing |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via Old French port
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | port | port for watercraft |