Etymologically
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portator

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 24 October 2026 at 15:09. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [pɔrˈtaː.tɔr][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [porˈtaː.tor][1]

Forms

portātor m (genitive portātōris); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin portō + -tor.[1][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL's first example is the Itala, the Old Latin Bible (after 220 AD),[2][3] where the Gibeonites are to be woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation (Joshua 9:21).[2]

Semantic evolution

The grammarian Probus lists it but seems to say that it was hardly in use, and manuscripts often confuse it with portitor2.[2] Late writers use it of a carrier in general: Augustine of one who carries other people,[2][4] Optatus of chalices that carry the blood of Christ,[4] and Isidore of Seville in explaining tabellio as a carrier of letters.[4]

In medieval Latin it named many kinds of bearers: the bearer of a letter, bearers of the bier at a funeral, men who carried bread to the oven, bearers of arms and carriers of loads.[5][6] It survives in Romance, as Italian portatore, French porteur and Spanish portador,[2] and through Anglo-French portour it gave English porter.[7]

Timeline

  • after 220 AD – The Itala uses it for the water carriers of Joshua 9:21.[2][3]
  • 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it of one who carries others.[2][3]
  • 366/367 AD – Optatus calls chalices bearers of the blood of Christ.[4][3]
  • c. 560–636 AD – Isidore of Seville uses it of a letter carrier.[4][3]
  • 1186 – A letter of Philip Augustus uses it of men who carry bread to the ovens.[5]
  • late 14th century – English has porter “one who carries”, from Anglo-French.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A carrier, bearer.[2][4][8]
  2. A carrier of letters, messenger.[4][5]
  3. (Medieval Latin) The bearer of a letter or document.[5][6]
  4. (Medieval Latin) portator armorum: one who bears arms.[6]

Word family

  • portatorius

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  5. ^ a b c d du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
  6. ^ a b c 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
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier