Meanings
plural portions
- An allocated amount.
- One's fate; lot.
Man's portion is to die and rise again.
1827, [John Keble], The Christian Year: Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holydays throughout the Year, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [B]y W. Baxter, for J. Parker; and C[harles] and J[ohn] Rivington, […], →OCLC2 more examples
The Lord of that ſeruant […] will appoint him his portion with the vnbeleeuers.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 12:46, columns 2–1"Everywhere the same!" exclaimed Francesca, as she resumed her seat—"the same human misery—the same human portion!...
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 146Synonyms: doom, fortune, chance, destin, destiny, doom, fatality, fate
- The part of an estate given or falling to a child or heir; an inheritance.
Father, giue me the portion of goods that falleth to me.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 15:12, column 11 more example
O! yearning heart! I did inherit Thy withering portion with the fame, The searing glory which hath shone Amid the jewels of my throne, Halo of Hell!
1829, Edgar Allan Poe, “Tamerlane”, in Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems - A wife's fortune; a dowry.
Commend me to her, and to piece her portion / Tender her this.
1613–1614 (date written), John Fletcher, William Shak[e]speare, The Two Noble Kinsmen: […], London: […] Tho[mas] Cotes, for Iohn Waterson; […], published 1634, →OCLC, Act V, scene iv, page 851 more example
I took part of a small house in the Old Jewry; and being advised to alter my condition, I married Mrs. Mary Burton, second daughter to Mr. Edmund Burton, hosier, in Newgate-street, with whom I received four hundred pounds for a portion.
1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput)
present singular third person portions · participle present portioning · participle past portioned · past portioned
- transitiveTo divide into amounts, as for allocation to specific purposes.
- transitiveTo endow with a portion or inheritance.
Him portioned maids, apprenticed orphans, blest.
1733, Alexander Pope, Epistle to Bathurst
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThat which is divided off or separated, as a part from a whole; a separated part of anything.
nounOne's fate; lot.
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomething determined in relation to something that includes it
nounthe allotment of some amount by dividing something
nounassets belonging to or due to or contributed by an individual person or group
nounyour overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
nounmoney or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage
nounan individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinportiōnem“a share, part, portion, relation, proportion”
- Old Frenchporcion
- Middle Englishporcioun
- Englishportion
English portion From Middle English porcioun, borrowed from Old French porcion, accusative of Latin portiōnem (“a share, part, portion, relation, proportion”), from portiō, akin to pars (“part”); see part. Compare proportion.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek λάχος, μόριον
- λάχος (lákhos)allocated amount
- μόριον (mórion)allocated amount
Arabic جُزْء
- جُزْء (juzʔ)allocated amount
Bengali হিস্যা, হিস্সা
- হিস্যা (hisśa)allocated amount
- হিস্সা (hisśa)allocated amount
- ভাগ (bhag)allocated amount
- অংশ (oṅśo)allocated amount
Bulgarian част, дял
- част (čast)allocated amount
- дял (djal)allocated amount
- пай (paj)allocated amount
- парче́ (parčé)separated part of anything
- по́рция (pórcija)separated part of anything
- дял (djal)part of an estate given or falling to a child or heir
- разделям (razdeljam)to divide into amounts
- поделям (podeljam)to divide into amounts
Catalan porció, porció
- porcióallocated amount
- porcióseparated part of anything
Chinese Mandarin 一部分, 部分
- 一部分 (yībùfen)allocated amount
- 部分 (bùfen)allocated amount
Czech část, díl
- částallocated amount
- dílallocated amount
- podílallocated amount
Danish del
- delallocated amount
Dutch deel, portie
- deelallocated amount
- portieallocated amount
Esperanto parto, porcio
- partoallocated amount
- porcioseparated part of anything
Estonian osa
- osaallocated amount
Finnish annos, osuus
- annosallocated amount
- osuusallocated amount
- osaallocated amount
- osaseparated part of anything
- osaone's fate — see also fate
- osapart of an estate given or falling to a child or heir
- perintöosapart of an estate given or falling to a child or heir
French part, portion
- partallocated amount
- portionallocated amount
German Teil, Portion
- Teilallocated amount
- Portionallocated amount
Greek μερίδα
- μερίδα (merída)allocated amount
Hindi हिस्सा
- हिस्सा (hissā)allocated amount
Hungarian adag
- adagallocated amount
Irish cuid, cinniúint
- cuidallocated amount
- cinniúintone's fate — see also fate
Italian porzione
- porzioneallocated amount
Japanese 部分
- 部分 (bubun)allocated amount
Korean 일부, 부분
- 일부 (ilbu)allocated amount
- 부분 (bubun)allocated amount
Latin portiō
- portiōallocated amount
Latvian daļa
- daļaallocated amount
Lithuanian dalis
- dalisallocated amount
Māori taha, tirikai
- tahaallocated amount
- tirikaiallocated amount
Norwegian Bokmål del, porsjon
- delallocated amount
- porsjonallocated amount
Persian بَخش, جُزء
- بَخش (baxš)allocated amount
- جُزء (joz')allocated amount
Polish porcja
- porcjaallocated amount
Portuguese porção
- porçãoallocated amount
Romanian porțiune, bucată
- porțiuneallocated amount
- bucatăallocated amount
- porțieallocated amount
- fragmentallocated amount
- cotă-parteallocated amount
Russian до́ля, по́рция
- до́ля (dólja)allocated amount
- по́рция (pórcija)allocated amount
- часть (častʹ)allocated amount
- пай (paj)allocated amount
- до́ля (dólja)one's fate — see also fate
- до́ля (dólja)part of an estate given or falling to a child or heir
Scottish Gaelic cuid
- cuidallocated amount
Slovak časť, diel
- časťallocated amount
- dielallocated amount
- podielallocated amount
Spanish porción
- porciónallocated amount
Swedish portion, del
- portionallocated amount
- delallocated amount
Thai ส่วน
- ส่วน (sùuan)allocated amount
Turkish pay, hisse
- payallocated amount
- hisseallocated amount
Ukrainian по́рція, части́на
- по́рція (pórcija)allocated amount
- части́на (častýna)allocated amount
- до́ля (dólja)allocated amount
- до́ля (dólja)one's fate — see also fate
Vietnamese phần
- phầnallocated amount
Welsh porsiwn
- porsiwnallocated amount
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with portion
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Cite this entry
portion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portion
“portion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portion. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “portion,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portion.
Source: portion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.