Port Names a Harbour, a Wine, a Ship's Left and a Socket
A port is a harbour. Three other ports are a wine, a direction and a connection point.
A port is a harbour, a fortified wine, the left side of a ship, and a socket on a machine. They are nearly all one root. Latin *portus*, a harbour, gives the harbour and, through the Portuguese city of Oporto, the wine. Latin *porta*, a gate, gives the opening in a ship's side and hence the modern socket. Only *port* as a direction is a deliberate coinage: it replaced *larboard* in 1844 because that sounded too much like *starboard* and was misheard in bad weather. The left side was named port because it was the side turned toward the harbour.
- A harbour. *A busy port.*
- A fortified wine. *A glass of port.*
- The left side. *Port and starboard.*
- A socket. *A USB port.*
- Latin — *portus*, a harbour. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | port | A port. |
| Plural | ports | Ports. |
| Adjective | portable | Portable. |
| Latin | portus | A harbour. |
| Latin | porta | A gate. |
- The ship reached port.Harbour.
- A glass of port.Wine.
- Hard to port.Direction.
Why larboard became port
- Starboard comes from the steering oar on the right
- Larboard was the loading side, from *lade*
- The two words sounded almost identical when shouted
- The Royal Navy ordered the change in 1844
- Port was chosen because that side faced the harbour
Latin *portus*, a harbour, and *porta*, a gate. The wine is named for Oporto in Portugal.
Why is the left side of a ship called port?
Because the ship docked on that side, the steering oar being on the right. It replaced larboard in 1844 to avoid confusion.
Why is the wine called port?
After Oporto in Portugal, the city from which it was shipped.