Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

portus, ūs (gen. sing. porti, Turp. ap. Non. 491, 20: dat. plur. portibus, Liv. 27, 30, 7 et saep.; a better form than portubus), m. [por, whence porto, portitor].
Prop., an entrance; hence,

  1. I. A harbor, haven, port: Lunai portus, Enn. ap. Pers. 6, 9 (Ann. v. 16 Vahl.): portus Caietae, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 12, 33; id. Rep. 3, 31, 43; cf.: in Graeciae portus, id. ib. 1, 3, 5: e portu solvere, to sail out of port, id. Mur. 2, 4; so, e portu proficisci, Caes. B. G. 3, 14: ex portu exire, id. B. C. 2, 4: ex portu naves educere, id. ib. 1, 57; 2, 22: portum linquere, Verg. A. 3, 289: petere, to sail into, to enter, Cic. Planc. 39, 94; Verg. A. 1, 194: capere, Caes. B. G. 4, 36: occupare, Hor. Ep. 1, 6, 32: in portum venire, to enter the port, Cic. Sen. 19, 71; so, in portum ex alto invehi, id. Mur. 2, 4: in portum deferri, Auct. Her. 1, 11, 19: in portum pervenire, Caes. B. G. 4, 22: in portum se recipere, id. B. C. 2, 22: in portum navim cogere (al. conicere), Cic. Inv. 2, 32, 98: in portum penetrare, id. Verr. 2, 5, 37, § 96: portum tenere, to reach a port, id. Fam. 1, 9, 21: in portum voluntatis deduci, Vulg. Psa. 106, 30: in portu operam dare, to be an officer of the customs, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 70, § 171; 2, 2, 72, § 176.
    With reference to the import-duty to be paid in ports: ex portu vectigal conservare, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 6, 15; id. Verr. 2, 2, 70, § 171.
    Prov.: in portu navigare, i. e. to be in safety, out of all danger, Ter. And. 3, 1, 22; so, in portu esse, Cic. Fam. 9, 6, 4.
      1. 2. Poet., transf., the mouth of a river, where it empties into the sea, Ov. H. 14, 107; id. Am. 2, 13, 10.
    1. B. Trop., as also the Greek λιμήν, and our haven, a place of refuge, an asylum, retreat (class.; a favorite trope of Cicero): portus corporis, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 44, 107 (Trag. v. 415 Vahl.): tamquam portum aliquem exspecto illam solitudinem, Cic. de Or. 1, 60, 255; so with tamquam, id. Brut. 2, 8: se in philosophiae portum conferre, id. Fam. 7, 30, 2: regum, populorum, nationum portus erat et refugium senatus, id. Off. 2, 8, 26: exsilium non supplicium est, sed perfugium portusque supplicii, id. Caecin. 34, 100; id. Tusc. 1, 49, 118: hic portus, haec arx, haec ara sociorum, id. Verr. 2, 5, 48, § 126; so, nam mihi parta quies, omnisque in limine portus, i. e. security is at hand, Verg. A. 7, 598: venias portus et ara tuis, Ov. H. 1, 110: vos eritis nostrae portus et ara fugae, id. P. 2, 8, 68.
  2. II. In the oldest Latinity, a house (as a place which one enters): portum in XII. pro domo positum omnes fere consentiunt, Fest. p. 233 Müll.
  3. * III. A warehouse: portus appellatus est conclusus locus, quo importantur merces et inde exportantur, Dig. 50, 16, 59: Licini, Cassiod. Var. 1, 25.