porter

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a very dark sweet ale brewed from roasted unmalted barley

   The porter carried the trunks from the carriage.

2. 2
   noun

   someone who guards an entrance

   The porter carried the trunks from the carriage.

3. 3
   noun

   a railroad employee who assists passengers (especially on sleeping cars)

   The porter carried the trunks from the carriage.

4. 4
   noun

   a person employed to carry luggage and supplies

   The porter carried the trunks from the carriage.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Porter represents two completely different words. The hotel doorman sense comes from Latin porta, meaning “gate” or “door,” while the luggage-carrier sense comes from Latin portare, “to carry.” The dark brown bitter beer called porter was named in the early 18th century for porters and other workers whose jobs involved carrying loads.

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.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary