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portly

[ pawrt-lee, pohrt- ]

/ ˈpɔrt li, ˈpoʊrt- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR portly ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, port·li·er, port·li·est.

rather heavy or fat; stout; corpulent.

Archaic. stately, dignified, or imposing.

Origin of portly

1520–30; port⁵ (noun) + -ly

OTHER WORDS FROM portly

port·li·ness, noun un·port·ly, adjective

Words nearby portly

portioner, portière, portland, portland cement, portlaoise, portly, portmanteau, portmanteau morph, portmanteau word, portnet, porto

Example sentences from the Web for portliness

He was a large man, tall, with broad shoulders and somewhat inclined to portliness.

Uncle Sam's Boys as Lieutenants |H. Irving Hancock
And Tommy Chadwick stood in all his portliness on the platform.

The Matador of the Five Towns and Other Stories |Arnold Bennett
Mr. Anthony slid down in his chair, and clasped his hands across his portliness.

The Wizard's Daughter and Other Stories |Margaret Collier Graham
He was of middle height and of a habit of body inclining to portliness, and his age may have been forty.

The Strolling Saint |Raphael Sabatini

Considering their enormous appetites, their portliness seems only natural.

Birds in London |W. H. Hudson

British Dictionary definitions for portliness

portly

/ (ˈpɔːtlɪ) /

adjective -lier or -liest

stout or corpulent

archaic stately; impressive

Derived forms of portly

portliness, noun

Word Origin for portly

C16: from port 5 (in the sense: deportment, bearing)