Meaning & Definition of word "Portion"

Portion

/ˈpɔːrʃən/

noun:

  • 1. A part of a whole; an amount, piece, or share of something.
    • Example: She served a small portion of spaghetti on each plate.
  • 2. A part or division of a larger amount or quantity.
    • Example: The company allocated a portion of its budget to research and development.
  • 3. A share or contribution to an overall result or effort.
    • Example: Each team member was responsible for their portion of the project.

verb:

  • 1. To divide or distribute into portions.
    • Example: The chef portioned the cake into equal slices for the guests.

Etymology

Middle English, from Old French 'portion', from Latin 'portio', meaning part or share.

Common Phrases and Expressions

a portion of:

a part or segment of something larger

portion control:

a method of regulating the amount of food served

in portion:

divided or shared among several people

large portion:

a significant amount of something, especially food

take one's portion:

to receive a share, often in terms of inheritance or fate

Related Words

slice:

a thin, flat piece cut from something larger, often food.

serving:

an amount of food served to one person.

segment:

a part of something divided.

share:

a part or portion of a larger amount.

division:

the act of separating something into parts.

Slang Meanings of portion

Meaning: a lot or a great deal (used informally)

Example Sentence: That party was a portion of fun!

Meaning: to portion out something is to distribute it in shares

Example Sentence: They portioned out the homemade cookies to everyone.