Etymologically
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portable

Etymology and origin of the English word portable

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1400
Borrowed from
Middle French portable
Ultimate origin
Late Latin (portabilis)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈpɔː.tə.bəl/, US /ˈpɔːr.t̬ə.bəl/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French portable and directly from Late Latin portābilis, that can be carried,[2][3][4] from Latin portāre, to carry (see port).[2][3][5] An earlier word in the same sense was portatif (late 14th century).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Able to be carried by hand or moved easily: about 1400 in the OED, probably before 1425 in Barnhart.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

Bearable or endurable is an archaic sense.[7][8] Figuratively, easy to carry in the memory, is from 1655.[6] Of a building, not permanent, is from 1860.[6] The noun, something portable, such as a typewriter or radio, is from 1883 in Barnhart.[2] Of rights or information, transferable, is from 1965,[6] and of software, able to run on different systems, is a computing use.[8] Portability is a derivative.[3]

Timeline

  • late 14th century – portatif.[3]
  • c. 1400 – easily carried.[6]
  • 1655 – easy to remember.[6]
  • 1860 – of a building.[6]
  • 1883 – a portable (noun).[2]
  • 1965 – transferable.[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Easy to carry or move.
  2. Of software, able to be used on different computer systems.
  3. (archaic) Bearable.

Noun

  1. Something portable, such as a small television or radio.

Word family

  • portability
  • portably
  • nonportable
  • unportable

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Portable.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/portable. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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