portage

See also: Portage

English

Etymology

French, from porter (“to carry”).

Noun

portage (countable and uncountable, plural portages)

1. An act of carrying, especially the carrying of a boat overland between two waterways.
2. The route used for such carrying.
3. A charge made for carrying something.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Bishop Fell to this entry?)

4. Carrying capacity; tonnage.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Hakluyt to this entry?)

5. The wages paid to a sailor when in port, or for a voyage.
6. A porthole.
   • William Shakespeare, Henry V (act 3, scene 1)

     Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
     Let pry through the portage of the head
     Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it
     As fearfully as doth a galled rock
     O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
     Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.

Derived terms

• Portage County

Translations

route used for portage

• German: Portage (de) f
• Maori: tōanga waka
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: båtdrag n

• Russian: волок (ru) (volok)
• Swedish: dragställe n

Verb

portage (third-person singular simple present portages, present participle portaging, simple past and past participle portaged)

1. (nautical) To carry a boat overland

Anagrams

• potager, top gear