port-, portat-

Descriptive of something that cannot be tolerated or which is inexcusable: The long, rambling, radical speeches at the event were insupportable.

Something which cannot be permitted nor allowed to be: The insupportableness of a broken air conditioner during the heat wave made Gretchen's hotel room so uncomfortable that she decided to go home early from her vacation.

A reference to how an action is unjustifiable or indefensible: It was an insupportably aggressive act when little Sally pushed a smaller boy on the playground and made him fall down and hurt himself.

1. The capability of an object to be easily carried, moved, or rearranged: The portability of one's traveling bag can be accomplished by making practical arrangements of clothing and other necessities for a trip.
2. The usability of computer programs or equipment that are flexible in function so they can be utilized in a variety of systems or places: Jacob told the computer salesperson that he wanted a laptop because its portability was essential since he would be taking it with him on during his business trips.
3. The transferability of a pension from a regular payment fund to another: When Joe wanted to change jobs, he checked in advance to see if the portability of his wages would be taken care of properly.

1. Capable of being carried from place to place or easily carried or conveyed: A picnic is a portable feast that can be enjoyed by family members outdoors in the summer.
2. Pertaining to mechanical or electrical devices that are manufactured in forms smaller and lighter than normal so they can be easily carried around: Many portable devices are being used around the world to digitally transmit music.

Anything that can be carried or transferred from one location to another: The portableness of Mary's health insurance is a very important consideration when thinking about getting a new job.

The action or work of carrying or moving a boat or its cargo across land from one waterway to another one or around an unnavigable section of water: The portage of the boat was made possible in order to get around the dam.

To carry or to convey boats, goods, etc. over land between navigable bodies of water: Rick, Roger, and the others in the group were portaging their canoes from one lake to another lake during their summer vacation.

1. In music, a smooth constant glide in passing from one tone to another; especially, with a voice or with a stringed instrument played with a bow: The singer’s portamenti were well performed, exquisite, and a pleasure to hear.
2. Etymology: from Italian, portare, "a carrying"; from Latin portare, "to carry".

A person whose employment is to carry baggage; now especially, a worker for a railway company, a passenger boat, airport, hotel, etc.: The porter used a pushcart to move Mona's luggage from the airport terminal to a taxicab.

When the taxi arrived at the hotel, Thomas, another porter working there, took Mona's suitcases, bags, etc. from the taxi into the hotel and then he made sure everything was safely delivered to her room.

1. A flat briefcase for keeping loose sheets of paper, prints, drawings, maps, music, photographs, etc.: Some artists present portfolios of their work to people who might be willing to buy or to exhibit their artwork.
2. Investments that are owned by someone or an organization: The investment manager spent some time discussing Janet's retirement portfolio with her.

In the phrase, "without portfolio" when referring to a government minister, it means that he is not in charge of a specific department of state; or, in other words, he is a "Minister without Portfolio".
3. Etymology, from Italian portafoglio, "a case for carrying loose papers"; from porta, portare, "to carry" + foglio, "sheet, leaf," from Latin folio, folium, "leaf".

1. Characterized by being stout or corpulent: The veterinarian, Dr. Todds, told Mike that his portly cat needed more exercise and less canned food.
2. Etymology: from Old French port, from porter, "to carry"; from Latin portare, "to carry"; "stately, dignified"; from port, "bearing, carriage" + -ly, "having the qualities of".

1. A case or bag for carrying clothing and other necessaries when traveling; originally, of a form suitable for carrying on horseback; now applied to an oblong stiff leather case, which opens like a book, with hinges in the middle of the back: Leonard packed his portmanteau to carry on the train when he was traveling.
2. A combination of word parts to create a new word that is made up of the blended sounds of two other distinct words and combining the meanings of both of them: "Smog" and "motel" are examples of linguistic portmanteaus with "smog" meaning smoke + fog and "motel" meaning motor + hotel.
3. Etymology: from French porter, "carry" + manteau, "cloak, mantle".

See these additional examples of Portmanteau words.

A small pocketbook or a purse for carrying coins: Yvonne collected various coins as mementoes and she kept them in her port-monnaie as she travelled to various foreign countries.

1. To have or to present the appearance, sometimes false, of being or intending to be something: The reporter purported that he was being objective about the article that he wrote.
2. To have the intention of doing something: The new school curriculum purports to meet the needs of gifted students; as well as, the ungifted pupils.
3. Etymology: from Anglo-French purport; from purporter, "to contain"; from pur-; from Latin pro-, "forth" + Old French porter, "to carry"; from Latin portare, "to carry".