portion

n. countable

B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈpɔɹʃən// UK //pˈɔːʃən// por·tion

Academic General-service

n. a part of a whole, or an amount of food served to one person. You use this when talking about how much of something you get or own.

n. a part of a whole that has been divided or allocated; specifically, an individual serving of food. Often used in formal or legal contexts to describe a share of an inheritance or responsibility.

SIMPLE

The restaurant serves a large portion of pasta.

CONTEXTUAL

A significant portion of the annual budget is spent on maintaining the city's public parks and playgrounds.

COMPLEX

While the eldest sibling inherited the family estate, a substantial portion of the liquid assets was distributed among the younger children to ensure an equitable division of the late father's wealth.

Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English porcioun, borrowed from Old French porcion, from Latin portio (“a share, part, portion, relation, proportion”), akin to pars (“part”); see part. Compare proportion.

Usage

Commonly followed by the preposition 'of' to indicate the whole from which the part is taken.