[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

portion \por"tion\, n. f., from l. portio, akin to pars,
   partis, a part. see part, n.
   1. that which is divided off or separated, as a part from a
      whole; a separated part of anything.
      1913 webster

   2. a part considered by itself, though not actually cut off
      or separated from the whole.
      1913 webster

            these are parts of his ways; but how little a
            portion is heard of him              --job xxvi.
                                                  14.
      1913 webster

            portions and parcels of the dreadful past.
                                                  --tennyson.
      1913 webster

   3. a part assigned; allotment; share; fate.
      1913 webster

            the lord of that servant . . . will appoint him his
            portion with the unbelievers.         --luke xii.
                                                  46.
      1913 webster

            man's portion is to die and rise again. --keble.
      1913 webster

   4. the part of an estate given to a child or heir, or
      descending to him by law, and distributed to him in the
      settlement of the estate; an inheritance.
      1913 webster

            give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.
                                                  --luke xv. 12.
      1913 webster

   5. a wife's fortune; a dowry. --shak.
      1913 webster

   syn: division; share; parcel; quantity; allotment; dividend.
        

   usage: portion, part. part is generic, having a simple
          reference to some whole. portion has the additional
          idea of such a division as bears reference to an
          individual, or is allotted to some object; as, a
          portion of one's time; a portion of scripture.
          1913 webster
see also:
part portion 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

portion \por"tion\, v. t. imp.  p. p. portioned; p. pr. 
   vb. n. portioning.
   1. to separate or divide into portions or shares; to parcel;
      to distribute.
      1913 webster

            and portion to his tribes the wide domain. --pope.
      1913 webster

   2. to endow with a portion or inheritance.
      1913 webster

            him portioned maids, apprenticed orphans, blest.
                                                  --pope.
      1913 webster
see also:
portioned portioning 

[3] : WordNet (r) 2.0

portion
     n 1: something determined in relation to something that includes
          it; "he wanted to feel a part of something bigger than
          himself"; "i read a portion of the manuscript"; "the
          smaller component is hard to reach" syn: part, component
          part, component
     2: something less than the whole of a human artifact; "the rear
        part of the house"; "glue the two parts together" syn: part
     3: the result of parcelling out or sharing; "death gets more
        than its share of attention from theologicans" syn: parcel,
         share
     4: assets belonging to or due to or contributed by an
        individual person or group; "he wanted his share in cash"
        syn: share, part, percentage
     5: your overall circumstances or condition in life including
        everything that happens to you; "whatever my fortune may
        be"; "deserved a better fate"; "has a happy lot"; "the
        luck of the irish"; "a victim of circumstances"; "success
        that was her portion" syn: fortune, destiny, fate,
        luck, lot, circumstances
     6: an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a
        meal; "the helpings were all small"; "his portion was
        larger than hers"; "there's enough for two servings each"
        syn: helping, serving
     v : give out or allot; "we were assigned new uniforms" syn: assign,
          allot
see also:
part component part component parcel share percentage 
fortune destiny fate luck lot 
circumstances helping serving assign allot 

[4] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

234 moby thesaurus words for "portion":
   friday, friday the thirteenth, adjunct, administer, allocate,
   allocation, allot, allotment, allowance, amount, antepast,
   appanage, appointed lot, apportion, apportionment, assign,
   assignment, astral influences, astrology, bag, bang, batch,
   beverage, big end, bigger half, bit, bite, bolt, book of fate,
   booster, booster dose, booster shot, break up, budget, bumper,
   bunch, carve, carve up, chunk, circumstance, clutch, coil,
   commission, component, consign, constellation, contingent, count,
   course, cover, cross section, cup, cut, cut up, deal, deal out,
   deck, dessert, destination, destiny, detachment, detail,
   dies funestis, disburse, dish, dispense, disperse, dispose,
   distribute, district, divide, divide into shares, divide up,
   divide with, dividend, division, divvy, divvy up, dole, dole out,
   doom, dose, dot, dower, dowry, draft, dram, drench, drink,
   dropping, drug packet, end, endowment, entree, entremets,
   equal share, fatality, fate, fix, foredoom, fortune, foundation,
   fraction, fragment, future, give out, gob, group, gulp, guzzle,
   half, halver, heap, help, helping, hit, hunk, ides of march,
   inevitability, injection, installment, interest, investment, issue,
   item, jointure, kismet, lap, large amount, legal jointure,
   libation, lot, lump, mainlining, marriage portion, measure,
   measure out, meed, member, mess, mete, mete out, modicum, moiety,
   moira, morsel, narcotic shot, nip, number, overdose, pack, parcel,
   parcel out, part, particular, partition, pass around, pay out, peg,
   percentage, piece, place, planets, plate, platter, popping,
   portion out, potation, potion, proportion, prorate, pull, quadrant,
   quaff, quantity, quantum, quarter, quota, rake-off, random sample,
   ration, remainder, roll, run, sample, sampling, scrap,
   second helping, section, sector, segment, service, serving,
   settlement, share, share out, share with, shift, shot, sip,
   skin-popping, slice, slice the pie, slice up, sliver, slug, slurp,
   small amount, small share, snort, split, split up, spoon out,
   stake, stars, stock, strip, subdivide, subdivision, subgroup,
   subspecies, suck, sum, sup, swig, swill, thirds, tot, unlucky day,
   wedge, weird, wheel of fortune, will of heaven, zone

[5] : Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)

portion. that part of a parent's estate, or the estate of one standing in 
loco parentis, which is given to a child. 1 vern. 204. vide 8 com. dig. 539; 
16 vin. ab. 4321; 1 supp. to ves. jr. 34, 58, 303, 308; 2 id. 46, 370, 404. 

Portion >> P Words
Portion, definition of term: Portion
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