portative

adj, noun — 3 senses

portative

adj

Etymology From Middle French portatif, corresponding to port + -ative.

1

Archaic Portable.

Was neuere leef vpon lynde · liȝter þer-after / And portatyf and persant · as þe poynt of a nedle.c. 1385, William Langland, Piers Plowman, section I:

2

Obsolete Capable of holding up or carrying.

the portative force of a magnet, of atmospheric pressure, or of capillarity

Derived terms: portative organ

portative

noun

Etymology From Middle French portatif, corresponding to port + -ative.

1

Historical A portative organ.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.