Words with the root port
port means “carry”, from Latinportare.
15 examples of the root “port”
- port(none)place where ships carry goods
- porter-erone who carries luggage
- portal-algate one is carried through
- importim-carry goods into a country
- exportex-carry goods out of a country
- reportre-carry information back again
- transporttrans-carry across from place to place
- supportsub-carry from below; hold up
- portable-ableable to be carried
- portfolio-foliocase for carrying loose sheets
- deportde-carry away; expel from country
- airportair-place aircraft carry passengers from
- reporterre- -erone who carries news back
- deportmentde- -mentmanner in which one carries oneself
- portage-ageact of carrying boats overland
How port works
The root 'port' comes from Latin 'portare' and typically functions as a verb base, with prefixes and suffixes converting it into nouns, verbs, or adjectives. The prefix 'sub-' assimilates to 'sup-' before the root (support), reflecting a common Latin spelling change.
Watch out: The word 'portrait' does not come from 'portare' (to carry) but from Latin 'portrahere' (to draw forth), so its 'port' is unrelated to carrying.
To see roots combine with other parts, try the word dissector and root builder, or test yourself in the vocabulary quiz.
Other Greek and Latin roots
- duct · lead
- scrib/script · write
- dict · say
- aud · hear
- vid/vis · see
- rupt · break
- mit/miss · send
- vert/vers · turn
- ped · foot
- man/manu · hand
- spec/spect · look
- cap/cept · take
- pos/pon · place
- fac/fact · make
- voc/vok · voice
- terr · earth
- aqua · water
- luc/lum · light
- nov · new
- temp · time
- mort · death
- gram/graph · write
- log/logy · word
- phon · sound
- bio · life
- chron · time
- geo · earth
- path · feeling
- hydr · water
- scope · look at
- therm · heat
- psych · mind
- auto · self
- tele · far
- micro · small
Questions people ask
What does the root “port” mean?
port means “carry”. It comes from Latin (portare). The root 'port' comes from Latin 'portare' and typically functions as a verb base, with prefixes and suffixes converting it into nouns, verbs, or adjectives. The prefix 'sub-' assimilates to 'sup-' before the root (support), reflecting a common Latin spelling change.
What are some examples of words with the root “port”?
port, porter, portal, import, export, report, transport, support. The full list of 15 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.
Which words look like they have the root “port” but don’t?
The word 'portrait' does not come from 'portare' (to carry) but from Latin 'portrahere' (to draw forth), so its 'port' is unrelated to carrying.
What is a root word?
A root is the core of a word that carries its main meaning. Many English roots come from Latin or Greek and cannot stand alone, like port (“carry”) in transport and portable.