portion
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See also: Portion
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English porcioun, borrowed from Old French porcion, from Latin portio (“a share, part, portion, relation, proportion”), akin to pars (“part”); see part. Compare proportion.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈpɔɹʃən/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈpɔːʃən/
- (Scotland, Ireland, other varieties without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA(key): /ˈpoəɹʃən/, /ˈpoːɹʃən/, /ˈpoɹʃən/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)ʃən
Noun[edit]
portion (plural portions)
- An allocated amount.
- That which is divided off or separated, as a part from a whole; a separated part of anything.
- One's fate; lot.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Luke 12:46, columns 2–1:
- The Lord of that ſeruant […] will appoint him his portion with the vnbeleeuers.
- 1827, [John Keble], The Christian Year: Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holydays throughout the Year, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] J. Parker; and C[harles] and J[ohn] Rivington, […], OCLC 1029642537:
- Man's portion is to die and rise again.
- 1834, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Francesca Carrara, volume 3, page 146:
- "Everywhere the same!" exclaimed Francesca, as she resumed her seat—"the same human misery—the same human portion!...
- The part of an estate given or falling to a child or heir; an inheritance.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Luke 15:12, column 1:
- Father, giue me the portion of goods that falleth to me.
- A wife's fortune; a dowry.
- 1613–1614 (date written), John Fletcher; William Shak[e]speare, The Two Noble Kinsmen: […], London: […] Tho[mas] Cotes, for Iohn Waterson; […], published 1634, OCLC 1170464517, Act V, scene iv, page 85:
- Commend me to her, and to piece her portion / Tender her this.
Usage notes[edit]
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[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
allocated amount
|
|
separated part of anything
part of an estate given or falling to a child or heir
|
wife's fortune — see dowry
Verb[edit]
portion (third-person singular simple present portions, present participle portioning, simple past and past participle portioned)
- (transitive) To divide into amounts, as for allocation to specific purposes.
- (transitive) To endow with a portion or inheritance.
- 1733, Alexander Pope, Epistle to Bathurst
- Him portioned maids, apprenticed orphans, blest.
- 1733, Alexander Pope, Epistle to Bathurst
Translations[edit]
to divide into amounts
Usage notes[edit]
- Particularly used as portion out.
- Relatively formal, compared to the more informal divide, divide up, or the casual divvy, divvy up.
Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- “portion” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- “portion” in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from Latin portionem (accusative singular of portio).
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
portion f (plural portions)
Derived terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
- → Turkish: porsiyon
Further reading[edit]
- “portion”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams[edit]
Interlingua[edit]
Noun[edit]
portion (plural portiones)
Swedish[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (file)
Noun[edit]
portion c
Declension[edit]
Declension of portion | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | portion | portionen | portioner | portionerna |
Genitive | portions | portionens | portioners | portionernas |
Related terms[edit]
Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *per- (sell)
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ɔː(ɹ)ʃən
- Rhymes:English/ɔː(ɹ)ʃən/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- French terms borrowed from Latin
- French terms derived from Latin
- French 2-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio links
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French feminine nouns
- French countable nouns
- Interlingua lemmas
- Interlingua nouns
- Swedish terms with audio links
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns
- Swedish common-gender nouns