portion

From Middle English porcioun, borrowed from Old French porcion, from Latin portio (“a share, part, portion, relation, proportion”), akin to pars (“part”); see part. Compare proportion.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɔɹʃən/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɔːʃən/
• (Scotland, Ireland, other varieties without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /ˈpoəɹʃən/, /ˈpoːɹʃən/, /ˈpoɹʃən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)ʃən

portion (plural portions)

1. An allocated amount.
2. That which is divided off or separated, as a part from a whole; a separated part of anything.
3. One's fate; lot.
   • Bible, Luke xii. 46

     The lord of that servant […] will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

   • Keble

     Man's portion is to die and rise again.

4. The part of an estate given or falling to a child or heir; an inheritance.
   • Bible, Luke xv. 12

     Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.

5. A wife's fortune; a dowry.
   • 1613, William Shakespeare, The Two Noble Kinsmen, V. iv. 31:

     Commend me to her, and to piece her portion / Tender her this.

Relatively formal, compared to the more informal part or more concrete and casual piece. For example, “part of the money” (both informal) but “portion of the proceeds” (both formal).

• part
• piece

• portionless
• proportion

portion (third-person singular simple present portions, present participle portioning, simple past and past participle portioned)

1. (transitive) To divide into amounts, as for allocation to specific purposes.
2. (transitive) To endow with a portion or inheritance.
   • Alexander Pope

     Him portioned maids, apprenticed orphans, blest.

• Particularly used as portion out.
• Relatively formal, compared to the more informal divide, divide up, or the casual divvy, divvy up.

• divide, divide up
• divvy, divvy up

• portion off
• portion out

• portion in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• portion in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Borrowed from Latin portionem(accusative singular of portio).

• IPA^(key): /pɔʁ.sjɔ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

portion f (plural portions)

1. portion

• “portion” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• potiron

portion (plural portiones)

1. portion

• Audio

  (file)

portion c

1. serving, an helping of food

• portionera