portfolio

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the role of the head of a government department

   The incoming minister was given the portfolio for foreign affairs.

2. 2
   noun

   a list of the financial assets held by an individual or a bank or other financial institution

   they were disappointed by the poor returns on their stock portfolio

3. 3
   noun

   a set of pieces of creative work collected to be shown to potential customers or employers

   The artist had put together a portfolio of their work.

4. 4
   noun

   A case for carrying papers, drawings, photographs, maps and other flat documents.

   He opened an embroidered portfolio; and, from its perfumed depths, took out a letter, which he began to read aloud.

5. 5
   noun

   The group of investments and other assets held by an investor.

   Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.[…]Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today.

6. 6
   noun

   A collection of assets; (figurative) any collection of things considered as investments or assets, (rarely) also liabilities.

   I would like to introduce you to our portfolio of services.

7. 7
   noun

   A range of products.

   product portfolio

8. 8
   noun

   a large, flat, thin case for carrying loose papers or drawings or maps

Etymology

From Italian portafoglio; cognate with French portefeuille (“folder, wallet”), from Latin portāre (“to carry”) and folium (“sheet”). The meaning "collection of responsibilities" came by extension in the 1930s.