LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

portiō

portiō f (genitive portiōnis)
Classical[ˈpɔr.ti.oː]Ecclesiastical[ˈpɔr.t͡si.o]

Meaning

  1. share, part, portion
    Creātīque tribūnī C. Licinius et L. Sextius prōmulgāvēre lēgēs omnēs adversus opēs patriciōrum et prō commodīs plēbis: ūnam dē aere aliēnō, ut dēductō eō dē capite, quod ūsūrīs pernumerātum esset, id, quod superesset, trienniō aequīs portiōnibus persolverētur.27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita 6.35.4
  2. relation, proportion

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Pars · Portio

Pars (from πείρω) denotes a part, with reference to a whole; whereas portio, a part or share with reference to a possessor. Plin. H. N. xi. 15. Æstiva mellatione decimam partem apibus relinqui placet, si plenæ fuerint alvi; si minus, pro rata portione. (iv. 148.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeportiō
portiuncula		portiōnēs
portiunculae
genitiveportiōnis
portiunculae		portiōnum
portiunculārum
dativeportiōnī
portiunculae		portiōnibus
portiunculīs
accusativeportiōnem
portiunculam		portiōnēs
portiunculās
ablativeportiōne
portiunculā		portiōnibus
portiunculīs
vocativeportiō
portiuncula		portiōnēs
portiunculae

portĭo, ōnis (
I. abl. sing. portioni, Inscr. Lat. 206, 38), f. kindr. with pars and πόρω, to share, impart, a share, part, portion (post-Aug., except in the phrase pro portione; v. in foll. II.).
I. Lit.: Luna aequā portione divisa, Plin. 2, 9, 6, § 42: ex his portio in Italiā consedit, portio in Illyricos sinus penetravit, Just. 24, 4, 2: hereditatis, id. 36, 2, 5; cf. id. 21, 1, 2: quamvis quota portio faecis Achaei, Juv. 3, 61: mox in proflatum additur tertia portio aeris collectanei, Plin. 34, 9, 20, § 97: pari portione inter se mixta pix, cera, alumen, etc., Cels. 4, 24; cf.: glandis cortex et nitrum paribus portionibus, id. 5, 18, 4: nil natura portionibus parit, by parts, piecemeal, Plin. 17, 22, 35, § 177: portio brevissima vitae, Juv. 9, 127: pars A carnaniae, quam in portionem belli acceperat, as his share for his services in the war, Just. 28, 1, 1: vocare aliquem in portionem muneris, id. 5, 2, 9: magna mortalium portio, Plin. 8, 28, 42, § 102.—
II. Transf., a relation to any thing, proportion, i. q. proportio.—
A. In gen., adverb.
1. prō portiōne (class.; not in Cæs.), in proportion, proportionally, relatively: pro portione ea omnia facito, Cato, R. R. 106 fin.: pro portione ad majorem fundum vel minorem addere, Varr. R. R. 1, 18, 3: Mamertinis pro portione imperaretur, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 21, § 55; id. Fl. 14, 32; Liv. 34, 50: oportet ut aedibus ac templis vestibula et aditus, sic causis principia pro portione rerum praeponere, in relation, in proportion, Cic. de Or. 2, 79, 320; so, pro ratā portione, Plin. 11, 15, 15, § 40: pro suā scilicet portione, Quint. 10, 7, 28; Censor. de Die Nat. 3.—
2. portĭōne (post-Aug.): cerebrum omnia habent animalia, quae sanguinem: sed homo portione maximum, proportionally, Plin. 11, 37, 49, § 133; so id. 11, 37, 70, § 183; 11, 2, 1, § 2; cf.: hac portione mediocribus agris semina praebenda, Col. 2, 9, 1: quādam portione, Quint. 6, 1, 26: eādem portione, id. 11, 3, 139.—
3. ad portiō-nem (rare and only post Aug.), Plin. 14, 21, 27, § 133; 24, 8, 30, § 46: ad suam quisque portionem, id. 36, 16, 25, § 9: supra portionem, Col. 7, 1, 2.—
B. Subst.: eadem ad decem homines servabitur portio, the same proportion, Curt. 7, 11, 12: portionem servare, Col. 11, 2, 87; cf.: proportione servatā, id. 8, 11, 6.

Origins

Traditionally related to the same root as pars, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *perh₂- (“to sell”), which also gave the Ancient Greek πόρνη (pórnē, “prostitute”), and πέρνημι (pérnēmi, “to sell”). De Vaan offers an alternative etymology where portiō would instead be a dissimilated and syncopated compound of prō + ratiō: prō ratiōne > prōrtiōne > portiōne, an adverbial phrase from which the noun portiō would be back-formed. If this etymology is correct, portiō would be unrelated to pars.

Descendants
  • Catalanporció
  • Italianporzione
  • Frenchportionfrom Old French porcion
  • Englishportionfrom Old French porcion
  • Portugueseporção
  • Romanianporție
  • Spanishporción
  • Asturianporción
  • Galicianporción
  • Turkishporsiyonfrom Old French porcion

In English words that came into English from portiō

  • portionportiō
  • proportionprōportiō
  • apportionapportionare

Quick answers

What does portiō mean in Latin?
portiō, a noun, means “share, part, portion; relation, proportion”.
What is the genitive of portiō?
The genitive singular is portiōnis. portiō is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce portiō?
In classical Latin, [ˈpɔr.ti.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈpɔr.t͡si.o].
Which English words come from portiō?
English words that go back to Latin portiō include portion, proportion and apportion.