use-icon

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

use-icon

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

open-icon

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

scroll-icon

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

100-words-icon

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

open-icon

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

port 1 (pôrt)
Share:
n.
1.
a. A place on a waterway with facilities for loading and unloading ships.
b. A city or town on a waterway with such facilities.
c. The waterfront district of a city.
2. A place along a coast that gives ships and boats protection from storms and rough water; a harbor.
3. A port of entry.

[Middle English, from Old English, from Latin portus; see per-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
port 2 (pôrt)
Share:
n.
The left-hand side of a ship or aircraft facing forward. Also called larboard.
adj.
Of, relating to, or on the port.
tr. & intr.v. port·ed, port·ing, ports
To turn (a craft) or make a shift to the port side: port the helm; ported sharply to avoid a shoal.

[Probably from port side, from PORT1.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
port 3 (pôrt)
Share:
n.
1. Nautical
a. An opening in a ship's side providing access to the interior.
b. A porthole.
c. Archaic A cover for a porthole.
2. An opening, as in a cylinder or valve face, for the passage of steam or fluid.
3. A hole in an armored vehicle or a fortified structure for viewing or for firing weapons.
4.
a. An entrance to or exit from a data network.
b. A connection point for a peripheral device.
5. Scots A gateway or portal, as to a town.
tr.v. port·ed, port·ing, ports
Computers To modify (software) for use on a different machine or platform.

[Middle English, gate, porthole, from Old French porte, gate, from Latin porta; see per-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
port 4 also Port (pôrt)
Share:
n.
A rich sweet fortified wine.

[After Oporto.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
port 5 (pôrt)
Share:
tr.v. port·ed, port·ing, ports
To hold or carry (a weapon) diagonally across the body, with the muzzle or blade near the left shoulder.
n.
1. The position of a rifle or other weapon when ported.
2. The manner in which one carries oneself; bearing.

[French porter, to carry, from Old French, from Latin portāre; see per-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots. N., Middle English porte, from Old French port, from porter, to carry.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.