Where does “portage” come from?
portage (Old French) comes from Latin portaticum, from Latin porta, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
Ancestry of “portage”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | portaticum | — |
| 2 | Latin | porta | gate, especially of a city; entrance, passage,... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |