Meanings
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1
noun
the activity of carrying a boat and its supplies overland between navigable waterways or around an obstacle
The paddlers made a two-kilometer portage around the rapids.
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2
noun
a route or place over which a boat and its supplies must be carried
A narrow portage connected the river to the next lake.
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3
verb
to carry a boat and its supplies overland between waterways or around an obstacle
We had to portage the canoe over the rocky ridge.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English portage, borrowed from Old French portage, from porter ("to carry"), ultimately from Latin portare. The suffix -age forms an action or result noun. The specialized North American sense developed through Canadian French travel by canoe.