porter
Plural: porters
Noun
- a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
- someone who guards an entrance
- United States writer of novels and short stories (1890-1980)
- United States composer and lyricist of musical comedies (1891-1946)
- United States writer of short stories whose pen name was O. Henry (1862-1910)
- a railroad employee who assists passengers (especially on sleeping cars)
- a very dark sweet ale brewed from roasted unmalted barley
- A person who carries luggage and related objects.
- An ant having the specialized role of carrying.
- One who ports software (makes it usable on another platform).
- A person in control of the entrance to a building.
- An employee who clears and cleans tables and puts bowling balls away.
- A strong, dark ale, originally favored by porters (etymology 1, sense 1), similar to a stout but less strong.
- Stout (malt brew).
Verb
Verb Forms: portered, portering, porters
- To carry luggage or goods as a porter.
- carry luggage or supplies
- "They portered the food up Mount Kilimanjaro for the tourists"
- To serve as a porter; to carry.
Examples
- By the time I reached the train station I was exhausted, but fortunately there was a porter waiting.
- He would gladly porter his friend’s heavy dictionary if it meant winning.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English porter, portere, portier, borrowed from Anglo-Norman portour and Old French porteor, from Late Latin portātor, from past participle of Latin portāre (“to carry”). By surface analysis, port (“to carry”) + -er.
Synonyms
Cole Albert Porter, Cole Porter, door guard, doorkeeper, doorman, gatekeeper, hall porter, Katherine Anne Porter, O. Henry, ostiary, porter's beer, Pullman porter, William Sydney Porter
Scrabble Score: 8
porter: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordporter: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
porter: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary