Portion

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: por=tion

CIDE DICTIONARY

Portion, n. [F., from L. portio, akin to pars, partis, a part. See Part, n.].

•  That which is divided off or separated, as a part from a whole; a separated part of anything.  [1913 Webster]
•  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!"  [1913 Webster]

  "Portions and parcels of the dreadful past."  [1913 Webster]
•  A part assigned; allotment; share; fate.  [1913 Webster]

  "The lord of that servant . . . will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers."  [1913 Webster]

  "Man's portion is to die and rise again."  [1913 Webster]
•  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."  [1913 Webster]
•  A wife's fortune; a dowry.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Division; share; parcel; quantity; allotment; dividend.

Portion, v. t. 

•  To separate or divide into portions or shares; to parcel; to distribute.  [1913 Webster]

  "And portion to his tribes the wide domain."  [1913 Webster]
•  To endow with a portion or inheritance.  [1913 Webster]

  "Him portioned maids, apprenticed orphans, blest."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Portion, n. & v.
--n.
1 a part or share.
2 the amount of food allotted to one person.
3 a specified or limited quantity.
4 one's destiny or lot.
5 a dowry.
--v.tr.
1 divide (a thing) into portions.
2 (foll. by out) distribute.
3 give a dowry to.
4 (foll. by to) assign (a thing) to (a person).

Derivative

portionless adj. (in sense 5 of n.).

Etymology

ME f. OF porcion portion f. L portio -onis

THESAURUS

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

ROGET THESAURUS

Portion

Part

N part, portion, dose, item, particular, aught, any, division, ward, subdivision, section, chapter, clause, count, paragraph, verse, article, passage, sector, segment, fraction, fragment, cantle, frustum, detachment, parcel, piece, lump, bit cut, cutting, chip, chunk, collop, slice, scale, lamina, small part, morsel, particle, installment, dividend, share, debris, odds and ends, oddments, detritus, excerpta, member, limb, lobe, lobule, arm, wing, scion, branch, bough, joint, link, offshoot, ramification, twig, bush, spray, sprig, runner, leaf, leaflet, stump, component part, sarmentum, compartment, department, county, fractional, fragmentary, sectional, aliquot, divided, in compartments, multifid, disconnected, partial, partly, in part, partially, piecemeal, part by part, by by installments, by snatches, by inches, by driblets, bit by bit, inch by inch, foot by foot, drop by drop, in detail, in lots.

Apportionment

N apportionment, allotment, consignment, assignment, appointment, appropriation, dispensation, distribution, division, deal, repartition, partition, administration, dividend, portion, contingent, share, allotment, fair share, allocation, lot, measure, dose, dole, meed, pittance, quantum, ration, ratio, proportion, quota, modicum, mess, allowance, suerte, apportioning, respective, respectively, each to each.