porter
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
por·ter 1
(pôr′tər)n.
1. A person employed to carry burdens, especially an attendant who carries travelers' baggage at a hotel or transportation station.
2. A railroad employee who waits on passengers in a sleeping car or parlor car.
3. A maintenance worker for a building or institution.
[Middle English portour, from Anglo-Norman, from Late Latin portātor, from Latin portāre, to carry; see per- in Indo-European roots.]
por·ter 2
(pôr′tər)n. Chiefly British
One in charge of a gate or door.
[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Late Latin portārius, from Latin porta, gate; see per- in Indo-European roots.]
por·ter 3
(pôr′tər)n.
A dark beer resembling light stout, made from malt browned or charred by drying at a high temperature.
[Short for porter's ale (probably so called because it was favored by laborers in the 1700s).]
porter
(ˈpɔːtə)n
1. a person employed to carry luggage, parcels, supplies, etc, esp at a railway station or hotel
2. (in hospitals) a person employed to move patients from place to place
3. (Railways) US and Canadian a railway employee who waits on passengers, esp in a sleeper
4. E African a manual labourer
[C14: from Old French portour, from Late Latin portātōr, from Latin portāre to carry]
porter
(ˈpɔːtə)n
1. chiefly Brit a person in charge of a gate or door; doorman or gatekeeper
2. a person employed by a university or college as a caretaker and doorkeeper who also answers enquiries
3. a person in charge of the maintenance of a building, esp a block of flats
4. (Roman Catholic Church) RC Church Also called: ostiary a person ordained to what was formerly the lowest in rank of the minor orders
[C13: from Old French portier, from Late Latin portārius doorkeeper, from Latin porta door]
porter
(ˈpɔːtə)n
(Brewing) Brit a dark sweet ale brewed from black malt
[C18: shortened from porter's ale, apparently because it was a favourite beverage of porters]
Porter
(ˈpɔːtə)n
1. (Biography) Cole. 1893–1964, US composer and lyricist of musical comedies. His most popular songs include Night and Day and Let's do It
2. (Biography) George, Baron Porter of Luddenham. 1920–2002, British chemist, who shared a Nobel prize for chemistry in 1967 for his work on flash photolysis
3. (Biography) Katherine Anne. 1890–1980, US short-story writer and novelist. Her best-known collections of stories are Flowering Judas (1930) and Pale Horse, Pale Rider (1939)
4. (Biography) Peter. 1929–2010, Australian poet, lived in Britain
5. (Biography) Rodney Robert. 1917–85, British biochemist: shared the Nobel prize for physiology or medicine 1972 for determining the structure of an antibody
6. (Biography) William Sidney. original name of O. Henry
por•ter1
(ˈpɔr tər, ˈpoʊr-)n.
1. a person hired to carry packages or baggage, as at a railroad station or a hotel.
2. a person who does cleaning and maintenance work in a building, factory, store, etc.
3. an attendant in a railroad parlor car or sleeping car.
[1350–1400; Middle English, variant of portour < Middle French porteour < Late Latin portātōrem, acc. of portātor. See port5, -or2]
por•ter2
(ˈpɔr tər, ˈpoʊr-)n.
a person who has charge of a door or gate; doorkeeper.
[1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French < Late Latin portārius gatekeeper]
por•ter3
(ˈpɔr tər, ˈpoʊr-)n.
a heavy, dark brown ale made with malt browned by drying at a high temperature.
[1720–30; short for porter's ale, appar. orig. brewed for porters]
Por•ter
(ˈpɔr tər, ˈpoʊr-)n.
1. Cole, 1893–1964, U.S. composer.
2. Sir George, born 1920, British chemist: Nobel prize 1967.
3. Katherine Anne, 1890–1980, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
4. Rodney Robert, 1917–85, British biochemist: Nobel prize for physiology or medicine 1972.
5. William Sydney ( “O. Henry” ), 1862–1910, U.S. short-story writer.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | ![]() laborer, labourer, manual laborer, jack - someone who works with their hands; someone engaged in manual labor redcap - a porter who helps passengers with their baggage at a railroad station skycap - a porter who helps passengers with their baggage at an airport |
2. | ![]() commissionaire - a uniformed doorman guard - a person who keeps watch over something or someone night porter - a porter on duty during the night ticket collector, ticket taker - someone who is paid to admit only those who have purchased tickets | |
3. | Porter - United States writer of novels and short stories (1890-1980) | |
4. | Porter - United States composer and lyricist of musical comedies (1891-1946) | |
5. | ![]() | |
6. | porter - a railroad employee who assists passengers (especially on sleeping cars) employee - a worker who is hired to perform a job | |
7. | porter - a very dark sweet ale brewed from roasted unmalted barley ale - a general name for beer made with a top fermenting yeast; in some of the United States an ale is (by law) a brew of more than 4% alcohol by volume | |
Verb | 1. | porter - carry luggage or supplies; "They portered the food up Mount Kilimanjaro for the tourists" |
porter
1noun (Chiefly Brit.) doorman, caretaker, janitor, concierge, gatekeeper a porter at the block of flats
porter
2Translations
بَوّاب، حَمّالحارِس ، بوّابشَيَّالعَتّال
nosičvrátný-á
bærerdørvogterdragerportnerportør
kantaja
nosačnosačica
hordárteherhordó
burîarmaîurdyravörîur
ポーター
포터
nešikas
nesējsšveicars
nosačvratar
vaktmästare
พนักงานยกกระเป๋า
người khuân vác
porter
[ˈpɔːtəʳ]A. N
1. (Rail, Aer) → maletero m, mozo m de cuerda or de estación, changador m (S. Cone) (US) (Rail) → mozo m de los coches-cama, camarero m (LAm); (touting for custom) → mozo m de cuerda
2. (Brit) [of hotel, office etc] → portero/a m/f
3. (= Sherpa) → porteador m
4. (in hospital) → camillero/a m/f
B. CPD porter's lodge N → portería f, conserjería f
porter
1n (of office etc) → Pförtner(in) m(f), → Portier m, → Portiersfrau f; (= hospital porter) → Assistent(in) m(f); (at hotel) → Portier m, → Portiersfrau f; (Rail, at airport) → Gepäckträger(in) m(f); (= Sherpa etc) → (Lasten)träger(in) m(f); (US Rail) → Schlafwagenschaffner(in) m(f); porter’s lodge → Pförtnerloge f
porter
2n (= beer) → Porter m or nt
porter
[ˈpɔːtəʳ] n (of office) → portinaio/a, portiere/a; (of hotel) → portiere/a (Rail, Aer) → facchino, portabagagli m inv (Am) (Rail) → addetto ai vagoni lettoporter
(ˈpoːtə) noun1. a person whose job is to carry luggage in a railway station etc. The old lady could not find a porter to carry her suitcase from the train.
2. a person whose job is to carry things eg in rough country where there is no other form of transport. He set off into the jungle with three porters.
3. a doorman or attendant in a hotel etc. a hospital porter.