Etymology From Middle English portable, from Middle French portable and Latin portābilis. By surface analysis, port (“to carry”) + -able.
1
Able to be carried or easily moved.
2
Able to be transferred from one organization to another.
a portable pension plan
Even though Houston’s moment was already fading by the late 2000s, the city’s hip-hop culture proved to be endlessly portable and disseminatable.2015 August 9, Jon Caramanica, “Pimp C in a Journalist’s Back Pages”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 01 Nov 2021:
3
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Of software: able to be run on multiple hardware or operating systems.
How do Java and C# create cross-platform, portable programs, and why can't C++ do the same?2012, Herbert Schildt, C++: A Beginner's Guide, Second Edition, page 6:
4
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Of a program: able to be copied directly from one machine to another without the use of an installer.
Starting with release 1.7, a portable version allows all Host Attachment Kit commands to be run without installing the Host Attachment Kit.2014, Bertrand Dufrasne, Bruce Allworth, Desire Brival, IBM XIV Storage System: Host Attachment and Interoperability, page 10:
How light and portable my paine ſeemes now, / When that which makes me bend, makes the King bow.c. 1603–1606 (date written), [William Shakespeare], […] His True Chronicle Historie of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Nathaniel Butter, […], published 1608, →OCLC, [Act III, scene vi], signature [G4], verso:
Christianity consists in a blessed exchange of yokes between Christ and a pious soul. He takes our uneasy yoke, and gives his easy yoke: the soul puts upon him that unsupportable yoke of transgressions, and takes from him the portable yoke of his commandments.a. 1654, Hugh Binning, “Sermon VIII. Matt[hew] xi. 29.—Take my yoke upon you, &c.”, in James Cochrane, editor, The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning: […] (Select Library of Scottish Divines: […]; III), volume III, Edinburgh: William Whyte & Co. […], published 1840, →OCLC, page 244:
2 more examples
It was also objected against John Chrystie in Spittell that he not being ane residenter within this burgh could not vote. To quhich it was answered that he is ane burges of the burgh and hes borne portable burding with the remanent burgesses these xxiiij yeares bygone.1689, R[obert] Renwick, editor, Extracts from the Records of the Royal Burgh of Stirling. A.D. 1667-1752. […], Glasgow: […] [T]he Glasgow Stirlingshire and Sons of the Rock Society, published 1889, →OCLC, page 58:
[N]one be choſen to be upon the Council but Magiſtrats and Craftſmen, actual and real Burgeſſes dwelling within the Town, and bearing all portable charges within the ſame; […]1707, W[illiam] B[lack], “Sect[ion] I. Anent Their Regulating Elections within the Burgh.”, in The Privileges of the Royal Burrows […], Edinburgh: […] [T]he Heirs and Successors of Andrew Anderson, […], →OCLC, chapter V (Of the Constitution of the Convention of Burrows, and Their Privileges), page 47:
A few portables, particularly the small laphelds, go one step further and come with software built into the computer.1985, New Accountant, volumes 1-3, page lxvii:
Compaq portables have grown lighter and more powerful since then. Their newest luggable, the Compaq Portable III, is six times more powerful and 10 pounds lighter than the original model.1987, InfoWorld, volume 9, number 20, page 71: