Proportion vs. Portion

Proportionnoun

(countable) A quantity of something that is part of the whole amount or number.

Portionnoun

An allocated amount.

Proportionnoun

(uncountable) Harmonious relation of parts to each other or to the whole.

Portionnoun

That which is divided off or separated, as a part from a whole; a separated part of anything.

Proportionnoun

(countable) Proper or equal share.

Portionnoun

One's fate; lot.

Proportionnoun

The relation of one part to another or to the whole with respect to magnitude, quantity, or degree.

‘the proportion of the parts of a building, or of the body’;

Portionnoun

The part of an estate given or falling to a child or heir; an inheritance.

Proportionnoun

A statement of equality between two ratios.

Portionnoun

A wife's fortune; a dowry.

Proportionnoun

Size.

Portionverb

(transitive) To divide into amounts, as for allocation to specific purposes.

Proportionverb

(arts) To set or render in proportion.

Portionverb

(transitive) To endow with a portion or inheritance.

Proportionnoun

The relation or adaptation of one portion to another, or to the whole, as respect magnitude, quantity, or degree; comparative relation; ratio; as, the proportion of the parts of a building, or of the body.

‘The image of Christ, made after his own proportion.’; ‘Formed in the best proportions of her sex.’; ‘Documents are authentic and facts are true precisely in proportion to the support which they afford to his theory.’;

Portionnoun

That which is divided off or separated, as a part from a whole; a separated part of anything.

Proportionnoun

Harmonic relation between parts, or between different things of the same kind; symmetrical arrangement or adjustment; symmetry; as, to be out of proportion.

Portionnoun

A part considered by itself, though not actually cut off or separated from the whole.

‘These are parts of his ways; but how little a portion is heard of him!’; ‘Portions and parcels of the dreadful past.’;

Proportionnoun

The portion one receives when a whole is distributed by a rule or principle; equal or proper share; lot.

‘Let the women . . . do the same things in their proportions and capacities.’;

Portionnoun

A part assigned; allotment; share; fate.

‘The lord of that servant . . . will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.’; ‘Man's portion is to die and rise again.’;

Proportionnoun

A part considered comparatively; a share.

Portionnoun

The part of an estate given to a child or heir, or descending to him by law, and distributed to him in the settlement of the estate; an inheritance.

‘Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.’;

Proportionnoun

The equality or similarity of ratios, especially of geometrical ratios; or a relation among quantities such that the quotient of the first divided by the second is equal to that of the third divided by the fourth; - called also geometrical proportion, in distinction from arithmetical proportion, or that in which the difference of the first and second is equal to the difference of the third and fourth.

Portionnoun

A wife's fortune; a dowry.

Proportionnoun

The rule of three, in arithmetic, in which the three given terms, together with the one sought, are proportional.

Portionverb

To separate or divide into portions or shares; to parcel; to distribute.

‘And portion to his tribes the wide domain.’;

Proportionverb

To adjust in a suitable proportion, as one thing or one part to another; as, to proportion the size of a building to its height; to proportion our expenditures to our income.

‘In the loss of an object we do not proportion our grief to the real value . . . but to the value our fancies set upon it.’;

Portionverb

To endow with a portion or inheritance.

‘Him portioned maids, apprenticed orphans, blest.’;

Proportionverb

To form with symmetry or suitableness, as the parts of the body.

‘Nature had proportioned her without any fault.’;

Portionnoun

something determined in relation to something that includes it;

‘he wanted to feel a part of something bigger than himself’; ‘I read a portion of the manuscript’; ‘the smaller component is hard to reach’;

Proportionverb

To divide into equal or just shares; to apportion.

Portionnoun

something less than the whole of a human artifact;

‘the rear part of the house’; ‘glue the two parts together’;

Proportionnoun

the quotient obtained when the magnitude of a part is divided by the magnitude of the whole

Portionnoun

the result of parcelling out or sharing;

‘death gets more than its share of attention from theologicans’;

Proportionnoun

magnitude or extent;

‘a building of vast proportions’;

Portionnoun

assets belonging to or due to or contributed by an individual person or group;

‘he wanted his share in cash’;

Proportionnoun

balance among the parts of something

Portionnoun

your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you);

‘whatever my fortune may be’; ‘deserved a better fate’; ‘has a happy lot’; ‘the luck of the Irish’; ‘a victim of circumstances’; ‘success that was her portion’;

Proportionnoun

harmonious arrangement or relation of parts or elements within a whole (as in a design);

‘in all perfectly beautiful objects there is found the opposition of one part to another and a reciprocal balance’;

Portionnoun

an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal;

‘the helpings were all small’; ‘his portion was larger than hers’; ‘there's enough for two servings each’;

Proportionverb

give pleasant proportions to;

‘harmonize a building with those surrounding it’;

Portionverb

give out or allot;

‘We were assigned new uniforms’;

Proportionverb

adjust in size relative to other things

Portionnoun

a part of a whole

‘he could repeat large portions of Shakespeare’; ‘a portion of the jetty still stands’;

Proportionnoun

a part, share, or number considered in comparative relation to a whole

‘the proportion of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is rising’;

Portionnoun

a part of something divided between people; a share

‘she wanted the right to decide how her portion of the allowance should be spent’;

Proportionnoun

the relationship of one thing to another in terms of quantity, size, or number; ratio

‘the proportion of examination to coursework’; ‘the bleach can be diluted with water in the proportion one part bleach to ten parts water’;

Portionnoun

an amount of food suitable for or served to one person

‘burger joints offering huge portions’; ‘a portion of ice cream’;

Proportionnoun

the comparative measurements or size of different parts of a whole

‘the view of what constitutes perfect bodily proportions changes from one generation to the next’;

Portionnoun

the part or share of an estate given or descending by law to an heir.

Proportionnoun

dimensions; size

‘the room, despite its ample proportions, seemed too small for him’;

Portionnoun

a dowry given to a bride at her marriage

‘he'll marry her fast enough when he knows the sum of her portion’;

Proportionnoun

the correct, attractive, or ideal relationship between one thing and another or between the parts of a whole

‘perceptions of colour, form, harmony, and proportion’;

Portionnoun

a person's destiny or lot

‘what will be my portion?’;

Proportionverb

adjust or regulate (something) so that it has a particular or suitable relationship to something else

‘a life after death in which happiness can be proportioned to virtue’;

Portionverb

divide (something) into parts and share out

‘for centuries meadowland with common hay rights was portioned out’;

Portionverb

serve (food) in an amount suitable for one person

‘generously portioned lunches’;

Portionverb

give a dowry to (a bride)

‘my parents will portion me most handsomely’;