portare Italian · revision 37720

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 12th century|origins=ine-pro *per-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /porˈta.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''portare''' (first-person singular present pòrto, first-person singular past historic portài, past participle portàto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old Italian also had ''puortare'', and the past participle could be the short ''porto''.^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|portō|t=to carry, convey]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The Latin verb is related to [[m|la|porta|t=gate]], whose first sense was “passage”, and to [[m|la|portus|t=harbour]]: Nocentini and DEI give it the early senses “to make pass” and “to bring into port”, from which “to carry” developed, and in Latin it came to stand beside [[m|la|ferō]] and [[m|la|gerō]] as a general word for carrying.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(DEI|3029)^(GDLI)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) The verb is pan-Romance: [[fr|porter]], [[oc|portar]], [[ca|portar]], [[es|portar]], [[pt|portar]] and [[ro|purta]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935) DÉRom reconstructs a Proto-Romance verb meaning “to bear, carry; to carry in the womb; to wear; to bring”, found in every branch except Sardinian.^(DÉRom)

+

+ The root is [[ine-pro|*per-|t=to cross, pass through]], which Nocentini also finds in [[grc|πείρω|tr=peírō|t=to pierce through]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Wiktionary) De Vaan takes ⟨porta⟩ as an old participle “crossed” and the verb as probably derived from it, and ⟨portus⟩ as a noun “crossing”, akin to [[ae|pərətu-|t=crossing, bridge]] and [[goh|furt|t=ford]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ Several phrases are calques on French: ⟨portarsi⟩ “to be in health” on [[fr|se porter]], ⟨portare sugli scudi⟩ on [[m|fr|porter sur le pavois]], ⟨a portata di mano⟩ on [[m|fr|à portée de la main]], and ⟨porto d’armi⟩ “firearms licence” on [[m|fr|port d'armes]].^(DELI 1999) The noun [[porto]] “carriage” is formed from the verb with no suffix.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ GRADIT dates the verb to the end of the 12th century.^(GRADIT 2003) DELI's oldest sense, “to bear, endure”, is in Rinaldo d'Aquino, and before 1250 Giacomo da Lentini uses it for moving something by holding it up and for leading someone to an action.^(DELI 1999) Nocentini's date is the beginning of the 13th century.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The reflexive ''portarsi'' meant “to behave” about 1284 and “to move, go” in Dante; before 1321 Dante also uses ''portare'' for a river or wind carrying something away.^(DELI 1999) “To wear” appears before 1348 in Francesco da Barberino, “to take with oneself” in 1353 in Boccaccio, and “to deliver, give as a present” before 1400 in Franco Sacchetti; a road that ''porta'' somewhere “leads” there in Luigi Alamanni, before 1556.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ''Portarsi bene'' “to be well” was mocked as French by Scipione Maffei in 1747, and in 1871 Tommaseo still found it too French.^(DELI 1999) In 1877 Fanfani and Arlìa objected to ''portare'' for “to take (a person) somewhere”, since one carries a person only in one's arms; the use is now standard.^(DELI 1999)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) ''Portare'' a candidate “to put forward and support” is recorded in 1905.^(DELI 1999)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ Proverbs and phrases include ''ambasciator non porta pena'' “do not blame the messenger” and ''la notte porta consiglio'' “sleep on it”.^(Treccani 2011) ''Portare vasi a Samo'', ''acqua al mare'' or ''legna al bosco'' means to do something useless.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 12th century – Rinaldo d'Aquino uses ''portare'' “to bear, endure”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1250 – Giacomo da Lentini uses it for carrying something.^(DELI 1999)

+ * c. 1284 – Reflexive ''portarsi'' “to behave”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1348 – Francesco da Barberino uses it for wearing clothes.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1353 – Boccaccio uses it for taking something along.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1747 – Scipione Maffei mocks ''portarsi'' “to be in health” as a French usage.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1905 – ''Portare'' a candidate is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|carry]] something or someone, holding them up while moving: ''Porto io la valigia fino al treno.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To [[m|en|bring]], to take something to a place or a person; to deliver; to bring as a present: ''Ti ho portato dei fiori.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # To take something with one when going somewhere: ''Porta l'ombrello, sta per piovere.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # To take or lead a person somewhere: ''Stasera ti porto al cinema.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Of a road, a door and the like, to [[m|en|lead]] somewhere: ''Questo sentiero porta al lago.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DELI 1999)

+ # To [[m|en|wear]] clothes, glasses, a hairstyle; to have a given size: ''Porta sempre la cravatta.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To bear a weight; to hold, have a capacity: ''Il furgone porta due tonnellate.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(figurative)'' To feel or harbour a feeling: ''portare rancore''.^(Wiktionary)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # To bring about, cause, lead to: ''La pioggia ha portato molti danni.''^(Wikizionario)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # To put forward and support a candidate.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DELI 1999)

+ # ''(portarsi)'' To go, move to a place, ''(dated)'' to be in a given state of health.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[portabile]]

+ * [[portamento]]

+ * [[portante]]

+ * [[portantina]]

+ * [[portantino]]

+ * [[portanza]]

+ * [[portata]]

+ * [[portatile]]

+ * [[portatore]]

+ * [[riportare]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[esportare]]

+ * [[importare]]

+ * [[trasportare]]

+ * [[porta]]

+ * [[porto]]

+ * [[asportare]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}