portion: Meaning and Definition of

por•tion

Pronunciation: (pôr'shun, pōr'-), [key]
— n.
  1. a part of any whole, either separated from or integrated with it: I read a portion of the manuscript.
  2. an amount of food served for one person; serving; helping: He took a large portion of spinach.
  3. the part of a whole allotted to or belonging to a person or group; share.
  4. the part of an estate that goes to an heir or a next of kin.
  5. something that is allotted to a person by God or fate.
  6. (esp. formerly) the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband at marriage; dowry.
—v.t.
  1. to divide into or distribute in portions or shares (often fol. by out).
  2. to furnish with a portion, as with an inheritance or a dowry: All of his children have been amply portioned.
  3. to provide with a lot or fate: She was portioned with sorrow throughout her life.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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