portion

English

Etymology

From Middle English porcioun, from Old French porcion, from Latin portio (“a share, part, portion, relation, proportion”), akin to pars (“part”); see part. Compare proportion.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔːʃən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(r)ʃən

Noun

portion (plural portions)

1. An allocated amount.
2. That which is divided off or separated, as a part from a whole; a separated part of anything.
3. One's fate; lot.
   • Bible, Luke xii. 46

     The lord of that servant […] will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

   • Keble

     Man's portion is to die and rise again.

4. The part of an estate given or falling to a child or heir; an inheritance.
   • Bible, Luke xv. 12

     Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.

5. A wife's fortune; a dowry.

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

Usage notes

Relatively formal, compared to the more informal part or more concrete and casual piece. For example, “part of the money” (both informal) but “portion of the proceeds” (both formal).

Synonyms

• part
• piece

Derived terms

• portionless
• proportion

Translations

allocated amount

• Arabic: جزء (ar) m (júzu’)
• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Catalan: porció f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 一部分 (zh) (yībùfèn), 部分 (zh) (bùfen)

• Dutch: deel (nl) n, portie (nl) f
• Finnish: annos (fi), osuus (fi), osa (fi)
• French: part (fr) f, portion (fr) f
• Georgian: ნაწილი (nacili), წილი (cili), პორცია (porc’ia), ულუფა (ka) (ulup’a)
• German: Teil (de) m
• Hungarian: adag (hu)
• Italian: porzione (it) f
• Japanese: 部分 (ja) (ぶぶん, bubun)

• Korean: 일부 (ko) (ilbu) (一部 (ko))
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: بەش (beş)

• Maori: taha
• Polish: porcja (pl) f
• Portuguese: porção (pt) f
• Romanian: porțiune (ro) f, bucată (ro) f, porție (ro) f, fragment (ro) n, cotă-parte f
• Russian: доля (ru) f (dólja), порция (ru) f (pórcija), часть (ru) f (čast’)
• Scottish Gaelic: cuid f
• Spanish: porción (es) f, ración (es) f
• Swedish: portion (sv) c
• Turkish: pay (tr), hisse (tr)
• Vietnamese: phần (vi) (分 (vi))

Verb

portion (third-person singular simple present portions, present participle portioning, simple past and past participle portioned)

1. (transitive) To divide into amounts, as for allocation to specific purposes.
2. (transitive) To endow with a portion or inheritance.

   Him portioned maids, apprenticed orphans, blest. — Alexander Pope.

Usage notes

• Particularly used as portion out.
• Relatively formal, compared to the more informal divide, divide up, or the casual divvy, divvy up.

Synonyms

• divide, divide up
• divvy, divvy up

Derived terms

• portion off
• portion out

External links

• portion in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• portion in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin portionem (nominative of portio).

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

portion f (plural portions)

1. portion

Anagrams

• potiron

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Swedish

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

portion c

1. serving, an helping of food

Declension

Declension of portion

	singular		plural
Common	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	portion	portionen	portioner	portionerna
genitive	portions	portionens	portioners	portionernas

Related terms

• portionera