portfolio
//pɔːtˈfəʊ.liˌəʊ//
Forms
- Plural
- portfolios
Definitions
1.A case for carrying papers, drawings, photographs, maps and other flat documents.
- He opened an embroidered portfolio; and, from its perfumed depths, took out a letter, which he began to read aloud.
2.The post and the responsibilities of a cabinet minister or other head of a government department.
- His [Jared Kushner's] portfolio extended to foreign policy, as he brokered a new North American trade agreement and negotiated peace deals in the Middle East.
3.The group of investments and other assets held by an investor.
4.The collection of such documents, especially the works of an artist or photographer, or more generally, a presentation of an individual's work samples and skills (a career portfolio).
Frequency
Overall
Rare· #4248
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Rare
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Etymology
From Italian portafoglio; cognate with French portefeuille (“folder, wallet”), from Latin portāre (“to carry”) and folium (“sheet”).
The meaning "collection of responsibilities" came by extension in the 1930s.