portable

views updated Jun 27 2018

port·a·ble / ˈpôrtəbəl/ • adj. able to be easily carried or moved, esp. because of being a lighter and smaller version than usual: a portable television. ∎  Comput. (of software) able to be transferred from one machine or system to another.• n. a version of something, such as a small lightweight television or computer, that can be easily carried. ∎  a small transportable building used as a classroom.DERIVATIVES: port·a·bil·i·ty / ˌpôrtəˈbilətē/ n.port·a·bly / -blē/ adv.

portable

views updated May 29 2018

portable
1. Another word for machine-independent.

2. A word applied to software that can readily be transferred to other machines, although not actually machine-independent.

3. A computer that can be simply carried from one place to another by one person. They cannot necessarily be used in transit. Examples include laptop and notebook computers.

portable

views updated Jun 08 2018

portable XIV. — (O)F. portable or late L. portābilis, f. portāre carry; see PORT3, -ABLE.
So portage transportation, carriage; mariner's venture in cargo. XV. — F.

portable

views updated May 29 2018

portable (por-tă-bŭl) adj. (in radiography) denoting light-weight equipment (and the images it produces) for use away from the radiography department, when patients cannot easily be moved (for example, on intensive therapy units).

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