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portarius

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word portarius

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
390–406 AD, Vulgate
Ultimate origin
Latin porta
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin porta
French porte
Italian porta
Latin portarius
From the same root
Latin portalis ← porta

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [pɔrˈtaː.ri.ʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [porˈtaː.ri.us][1]

Forms

portārius m (genitive portāriī or portārī); second declension[1] Medieval Latin also has porterius.[2][3]

Etymology

It is a Late Latin formation,[3][1] from Latin porta + -ārius.[1][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Vulgate, of the gatekeepers of a city who went and brought news,[4][6][7] and of the sons of Idithun appointed as gatekeepers.[4][8]

Semantic evolution

Cassiodorus' Latin Josephus uses it of Levites set to guard the temple,[4] and the Rule of Benedict of the monastery porter, who is to have a cell beside the gate.[4] In the Middle Ages it named a monk in charge of receiving guests,[2][9] a royal officer, the keeper of a city or castle gate, the porter of heaven, and it became the surname Porter.[3] It survives in Old French portier, Spanish portero and Portuguese porteiro,[4] and through Anglo-French it gave the English word porter “doorkeeper”.[10] In New Latin it has been used for a goalkeeper in football.[1]

Timeline

  • 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses it of the gatekeepers of a city and of the temple.[4][7]
  • c. 485–c. 580 AD – Cassiodorus' Josephus uses it of Levites guarding the temple.[4][7]
  • 529 AD – The Rule of Benedict uses it of the monastery porter.[4][7]
  • mid-13th century – English porter “doorkeeper” is first recorded.[10]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A doorkeeper, gatekeeper, porter.[6][5][11]
  2. (Ecclesiastical Latin) The porter of a monastery; a monk in charge of receiving guests.[2][9]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A royal officer; the keeper of the gate of a city or castle.[3]
  4. (New Latin) A goalkeeper.[1]

Usage notes

In Medieval Latin it was also used as an adjective, “next to the gate”.[9][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  6. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  8. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  9. ^ a b c du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
  10. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  11. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Portarius.” Etymologically, 24 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/portarius. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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