- portly
- \ \ see PORT
Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
portly
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Portly — Port ly, a. [From {Port} demeanor.] 1. Having a dignified port or mien; of a noble appearance; imposing. [1913 Webster] 2. Bulky; corpulent. A portly personage. Dickens. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
portly — 1520s, stately, dignified, from PORT (Cf. port) (3) bearing, carriage + LY (Cf. ly) (1). Meaning stout is first recorded 1590s … Etymology dictionary
portly — *fleshy, stout, plump, rotund, chubby, fat, corpulent, obese Analogous words: burly, husky, brawny, *muscular … New Dictionary of Synonyms
portly — [adj] bulky, fat ample, avoirdupois, beefy*, broad, burly, corpulent, fleshy, heavy, hefty, husky, large, obese, overweight, plump, rotund, stout; concept 491 Ant. skinny, slender, thin … New thesaurus
portly — ► ADJECTIVE (portlier, portliest) ▪ (especially of a man) rather fat. DERIVATIVES portliness noun. ORIGIN originally in the sense «stately or dignified»: from PORT(Cf. ↑port) in the archaic sense bearing … English terms dictionary
portly — [pôrt′lē] adj. portlier, portliest [ PORT3 + LY1] 1. large and heavy in a dignified and stately way 2. stout; corpulent portliness n … English World dictionary
portly — UK [ˈpɔː(r)tlɪ] / US [ˈpɔrtlɪ] adjective Word forms portly : adjective portly comparative portlier superlative portliest a portly person is fairly fat … English dictionary
portly — port|ly [ˈpo:tli US ˈpo:r ] adj written [Date: 1400 1500; Origin: port behavior, deportment (14 19 centuries), from French, from porter; PORTAGE] someone who is portly, especially an old man, is fat and round ▪ a portly old gentleman … Dictionary of contemporary English
portly — [[t]pɔ͟ː(r)tli[/t]] portlier, portliest ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n A portly person, especially a man, is rather fat. [FORMAL] ...a portly middle aged man. Syn: stout … English dictionary
portly — adjective someone who is portly, especially a rather old man, is fat and round: a portly old gentleman portliness noun (U) … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
portly — adj. Portly is used with these nouns: ↑man … Collocations dictionary
