-port- (etymology)

Several English words include the element -port-, even when ignore those that contain such elements as portion, which comes from ptō tatiōne, 'in the ratio'. Most come from originals with the four letters -port-. These can confuse non-native learners at times, and their history may be interesting to native speakers; so some notes are given here. They come in essence from three Latin roots, two linked.

• Portāre means 'to carry, bring' (cf French porter), and is the most productive root. (In Latin, the irregular verb fero, ferre, tuli, latum was more often used for this meaning, and there are cognates in many languages: Greek φέρω (also an irregular verb - phero, ’οίσω, ’ηνεγκα), root of the name Christopher, derived from the legend of a man who carried the Christ-child on his shoulder - Christo-phoros, 'Christ-bearing'); and Sanskrit vhri.
• Porta means a 'door, gate[way]', French la porte. This gives us such simple words as 'portal' and 'portico' (and its more 'native' form 'porch'). It shares its derivation (por) with the following:
• portus, a 'harbour, haven or port', is derived from an older root por or par, meaning 'to pierce': the basic meaning of each is 'entry'.

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