means A place on a coast or river where ships load and unload, dock, and shelter — or, by extension, the very act of carrying goods to and from such a place.

from From Latin 'portus,' a harbor or haven — itself rooted in the idea of a passage or entrance, kin to 'porta,' a gate or door, and to the verb 'portare,' to carry. So the harbor and the doorway share blood: both are openings through which things pass. The English word arrived early, by way of Old English and reinforced through French, and that same Latin family branches out everywhere — into 'portal,' 'import,' 'export,' 'transport,' and 'porter,' the one who does the carrying.