Webster's Unabridged Dictionary - Letter P - Page 97

Portent (n.) That which portends, or foretoken; esp., that which portends evil; a sign of coming calamity; an omen; a sign.

Portentive (a.) Presaging; foreshadowing.

Portentous (a.) Of the nature of a portent; containing portents; foreshadowing, esp. foreshadowing ill; ominous.

Portentous (a.) Hence: Monstrous; prodigious; wonderful; dreadful; as, a beast of portentous size.

Porter (n.) A man who has charge of a door or gate; a doorkeeper; one who waits at the door to receive messages.

Porter (n.) A carrier; one who carries or conveys burdens, luggage, etc.; for hire.

Porter (n.) A bar of iron or steel at the end of which a forging is made; esp., a long, large bar, to the end of which a heavy forging is attached, and by means of which the forging is lifted and handled in hammering and heating; -- called also porter bar.

Porter (n.) A malt liquor, of a dark color and moderately bitter taste, possessing tonic and intoxicating qualities.

Porterage (n.) The work of a porter; the occupation of a carrier or of a doorkeeper.

Porterage (n.) Money charged or paid for the carriage of burdens or parcels by a porter.

Porteress (n.) See Portress.

Porterhouse (n.) A house where porter is sold.

Portesse (n.) See Porteass.

Portfire (n.) A case of strong paper filled with a composition of niter, sulphur, and mealed powder, -- used principally to ignite the priming in proving guns, and as an incendiary material in shells.

Portfolio (n.) A portable case for holding loose papers, prints, drawings, etc.

Portfolio (n.) Hence: The office and functions of a minister of state or member of the cabinet; as, to receive the portfolio of war; to resign the portfolio.

Portglave (n.) A sword bearer.

Portgreve () Alt. of Portgrave

Portgrave () In old English law, the chief magistrate of a port or maritime town.; a portreeve.

Porthole (n.) An embrasure in a ship's side. See 3d Port.

Porthook (n.) One of the iron hooks to which the port hinges are attached.

Porthors (n.) See Portass.

Porticoes (pl. ) of Portico

Porticos (pl. ) of Portico

Portico (n.) A colonnade or covered ambulatory, especially in classical styles of architecture; usually, a colonnade at the entrance of a building.

Porticoed (a.) Furnished with a portico.

Portiere (n.) A curtain hanging across a doorway.

Portigue (n.) See Portague.

Portingal (a.) Of or pertaining to Portugal; Portuguese.

Portingal (n.) A Portuguese.

Portion (n.) That which is divided off or separated, as a part from a whole; a separated part of anything.

Portion (n.) A part considered by itself, though not actually cut off or separated from the whole.

Portion (n.) A part assigned; allotment; share; fate.

Portion (n.) The part of an estate given to a child or heir, or descending to him by law, and distributed to him in the settlement of the estate; an inheritance.

Portion (n.) A wife's fortune; a dowry.

Portioned (imp. & p. p.) of Portion

Portioning (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Portion

Portion (v. t.) To separate or divide into portions or shares; to parcel; to distribute.

Portion (v. t.) To endow with a portion or inheritance.

Portioner (n.) One who portions.

Portioner (n.) See Portionist, 2.

Portionist (n.) A scholar at Merton College, Oxford, who has a certain academical allowance or portion; -- corrupted into postmaster.

Portionist (n.) One of the incumbents of a benefice which has two or more rectors or vicars.

Portionless (a.) Having no portion.

Portise (n.) See Portass.

Portland cement () A cement having the color of the Portland stone of England, made by calcining an artificial mixture of carbonate of lime and clay, or sometimes certain natural limestones or chalky clays. It contains a large proportion of clay, and hardens under water.

Portland stone () A yellowish-white calcareous freestone from the Isle of Portland in England, much used in building.

Portland vase () A celebrated cinerary urn or vase found in the tomb of the Emperor Alexander Severus. It is owned by the Duke of Portland, and kept in the British Museum.

Portlast (n.) The portoise. See Portoise.

Portliness (n.) The quality or state of being portly; dignity of mien or of personal appearance; stateliness.

Portliness (n.) Bulkiness; corpulence.

Portly (a.) Having a dignified port or mien; of a noble appearance; imposing.

Portly (a.) Bulky; corpulent.

Portmen (pl. ) of Portman

Portman (n.) An inhabitant or burgess of a port, esp. of one of the Cinque Ports.

Portmanteaus (pl. ) of Portmanteau

Portmanteau (n.) A bag or case, usually of leather, for carrying wearing apparel, etc., on journeys.

Portmantle (n.) A portmanteau.

Portmote (n.) In old English law, a court, or mote, held in a port town.

Portoir (n.) One who, or that which, bears; hence, one who, or that which, produces.

Portoise (n.) The gunwale of a ship.

Portos (n.) See Portass.

Portpane (n.) A cloth for carrying bread, so as not to touch it with the hands.

Portrait (n.) The likeness of a person, painted, drawn, or engraved; commonly, a representation of the human face painted from real life.

Portrait (n.) Hence, any graphic or vivid delineation or description of a person; as, a portrait in words.

Portrait (v. t.) To portray; to draw.

Portraitist (n.) A portrait painter.

Portraiture (n.) A portrait; a likeness; a painted resemblance; hence, that which is copied from some example or model.

Portraiture (n.) Pictures, collectively; painting.

Portraiture (n.) The art or practice of making portraits.

Portraiture (v. t.) To represent by a portrait, or as by a portrait; to portray.

portrayed (imp. & p. p.) of Portray

Portraying (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Portray

Portray (v. t.) To paint or draw the likeness of; as, to portray a king on horseback.

Portray (v. t.) Hence, figuratively, to describe in words.

Portray (v. t.) To adorn with pictures.

Portrayal (n.) The act or process of portraying; description; delineation.

Portrayer (n.) One who portrays.

Portreeve (n.) A port warden.

Portress (n.) A female porter.

Port-royalist (n.) One of the dwellers in the Cistercian convent of Port Royal des Champs, near Paris, when it was the home of the Jansenists in the 17th century, among them being Arnauld, Pascal, and other famous scholars. Cf. Jansenist.

Portsale (n.) Public or open sale; auction.

Portuary (n.) A breviary.

Portuguese (a.) Of or pertaining to Portugal, or its inhabitants.

Portuguese (n. sing. & pl.) A native or inhabitant of Portugal; people of Portugal.

Portulaca (n.) A genus of polypetalous plants; also, any plant of the genus.

Portulacaceous (a.) Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants (Portulacaceae), of which Portulaca is the type, and which includes also the spring beauty (Claytonia) and other genera.

Porwigle (n.) See Polliwig.

Pory (a.) Porous; as, pory stone. [R.] Dryden.

Pose (a.) Standing still, with all the feet on the ground; -- said of the attitude of a lion, horse, or other beast.

Pose (n.) A cold in the head; catarrh.

Pose (v. t.) The attitude or position of a person; the position of the body or of any member of the body; especially, a position formally assumed for the sake of effect; an artificial position; as, the pose of an actor; the pose of an artist's model or of a statue.

Posed (imp. & p. p.) of Pose

Posing (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Pose

Pose (v. t.) To place in an attitude or fixed position, for the sake of effect; to arrange the posture and drapery of (a person) in a studied manner; as, to pose a model for a picture; to pose a sitter for a portrait.

Pose (v. i.) To assume and maintain a studied attitude, with studied arrangement of drapery; to strike an attitude; to attitudinize; figuratively, to assume or affect a certain character; as, she poses as a prude.

Pose (v. t.) To interrogate; to question.

Pose (v. t.) To question with a view to puzzling; to embarrass by questioning or scrutiny; to bring to a stand.

Posed (a.) Firm; determined; fixed.

Poser (n.) One who, or that which, puzzles; a difficult or inexplicable question or fact.

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