porter English · revision 10656
17 Oct 2026, 05:24 by bogdan “en10k b0380: gig … geography”
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+ Porter, a carrier of loads (and the beer named after such workers), is from Old French porteour; porter, a doorkeeper, is from Old French portier.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(Cresswell 2021)
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: UK /ˈpɔː.tə/, US /ˈpɔːr.t̬ɚ/^(Roach et al. 2011)
+
+ {{homograph|1|carrier}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1382|origins=xno portour|origins=la-lat portator}}
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is [[bor|xno|portour]], Old French porteor, bearer,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from Late Latin portātor, one who carries,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) from Latin portāre, to carry (see [[port]] and [[portable]]).^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ A person employed to carry loads: 1382, in the Wycliffe Bible;^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) the surname Portur is from 1263.^(Barnhart 1988)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ Porters at hotels and railway stations carry luggage,^(AHD)^(Collins 2023) and in hospitals move patients.^(Collins 2023) In the United States a porter is also a railway attendant in a sleeping car.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023) The dark-brown beer, porter, is from 1734 in Etymonline, 1739 in Barnhart, short for porter's ale (1721),^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) said to be so called because porters and other labourers liked it,^(Etymonline) though the connection is obscure.^(Barnhart 1988)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1263 – Portur (surname).^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1382 – a carrier of loads.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)
+ * 1721 – porter's ale.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1734 – porter, the beer.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # A person employed to carry [[luggage]] or loads, as at a hotel or station.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # A hospital worker who moves patients.^(Collins 2023)
+ # ''(US)'' An attendant in a railway sleeping car.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # A dark-brown bitter [[beer]], like a light stout.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[porterage]]
+ * [[porterhouse]]
+
+ {{homograph|2|doorkeeper}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1250|origins=xno porter|origins=la-lat portarius}}
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is [[bor|xno|porter]], Old French portier,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) from Late Latin portārius, gatekeeper,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from Latin porta, gate (see [[portal]] and [[port]]).^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Cresswell 2021)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ A person in charge of a door or gate: about 1250 in Barnhart, about 1290 in the OED;^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) the surname Portier is from 1183–85.^(Barnhart 1988)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ In anatomy the porter was the pylorus, the outlet of the stomach (1594), translating Greek pulōrós, gatekeeper.^(OED 1989) A ''porter's lodge'' stands at the gate of a college or large house.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1183–85 – Portier (surname).^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * c. 1250 – a gatekeeper.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1594 – the pylorus (anatomy).^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # ''(chiefly UK)'' A person in charge of a door or [[gate]], as at a college or hotel; a doorkeeper.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[port]]
+ * [[portal]]
+ * [[portable]]
+
+ ==Usage notes==
+ Word Origins stresses that the porter who keeps a door and the porter who carries luggage are completely different words.^(Cresswell 2021)
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}