portion

[ pawr-shuhn, pohr- ]

noun

1. a part of any whole, either separated from or integrated with it:

   I read a portion of the manuscript.

   Synonyms: segment, section

   Antonyms: whole

2. an amount of food served for one person; serving; helping:

   He took a large portion of spinach.

   Synonyms: ration

3. the part of a whole allotted to or belonging to a person or group; share.

   Synonyms: dividend, lot, quota, allotment

4. the part of an estate that goes to an heir or a next of kin.

   Synonyms: inheritance

5. Literary. something that is allotted to a person by God or fate.

   Synonyms: doom, destiny, lot, fortune

6. (especially formerly) the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband at marriage; dowry.

verb (used with object)

1. to divide into or distribute in portions or shares (often followed by out ).

   Synonyms: apportion, allot

2. to furnish with a portion, as with an inheritance or a dowry:

   All of his children have been amply portioned.

   Synonyms: endow

3. to provide with a lot or fate:

   She was portioned with sorrow throughout her life.

portion

/ ˈpɔːʃən /

noun

1. a part of a whole; fraction
2. a part allotted or belonging to a person or group
3. an amount of food served to one person; helping
4. law
   1. a share of property, esp one coming to a child from the estate of his parents
   2. the property given by a woman to her husband at marriage; dowry
5. a person's lot or destiny

verb

1. to divide up; share out
2. to give a share to (a person); assign or allocate
3. law to give a dowry or portion to (a person); endow

Derived Forms

• ˈportionless, adjective

Other Words From

• portion·a·ble adjective
• portion·less adjective
• re·portion verb (used with object)
• un·portion·a·ble adjective
• un·portioned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of portion¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English porcion, from Old French, from Latin portiōn- (stem of portiō ) “share, part,” akin to pars part

Word History and Origins

Origin of portion¹

C13: via Old French from Latin portiō portion, allocation; related to pars part

Synonym Study

See part.

Example Sentences

As magma rises from the mantle to the surface, it releases gases from the deeper portions of the planet.

From Science Daily

After surveying the city-owned portion of the peninsula, Cabrera Services found 10 areas with elevated levels of gamma radiation — powerful electromagnetic energy that can penetrate human tissue and damage cells.

From Los Angeles Times

A doctor, Kennedy said, had told him that his abnormal brain scans were likely “caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.”

From Los Angeles Times

Environmental advocates also worry that the forest thinning portion of the project will focus more on biofuel companies’ bottom lines than forest health, doing little to prevent wildfires.

From Los Angeles Times

At first, I’ll admit they did feel a bit like a chore, a sign of my failure to portion correctly or eat everything while it was fresh.

From Salon