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PORT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

(computer science) computer circuit consisting of the hardware and associated circuitry that links one device with another (especially a computer and a hard disk drive or other peripherals)

Synonyms:

interface; port

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("port" is a kind of...):

computer circuit (a circuit that is part of a computer)

Domain category:

computer science; computing (the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "port"):

parallel interface; parallel port (an interface between a computer and a printer where the computer sends multiple bits of information to the printer simultaneously)

serial port (an interface (commonly used for modems and mice and some printers) that transmits data a bit at a time)

SCSI; small computer system interface (interface consisting of a standard port between a computer and its peripherals that is used in some computers)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The left side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose

Synonyms:

larboard; port

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("port" is a kind of...):

side (an extended outer surface of an object)

Derivation:

port (turn or go to the port or left side, of a ship)

port (put or turn on the left side, of a ship)

port (located on the left side of a ship or aircraft)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An opening (in a wall or ship or armored vehicle) for firing through

Synonyms:

embrasure; port; porthole

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("port" is a kind of...):

opening (a vacant or unobstructed space that is man-made)

Domain category:

ship (a vessel that carries passengers or freight)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Sweet dark-red dessert wine originally from Portugal

Synonyms:

port; port wine

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("port" is a kind of...):

fortified wine (wine to which alcohol (usually grape brandy) has been added)

Derivation:

port (drink port)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Hypernyms ("port" is a kind of...):

geographic point; geographical point (a point on the surface of the Earth)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "port"):

entrepot; transshipment center (a port where merchandise can be imported and then exported without paying import duties)

free port (a port open on equal terms to all commercial vessels)

home port (the port from which a ship originates of where it is registered)

outport (a subsidiary port built in deeper water than the original port (but usually farther from the center of trade))

point of entry; port of entry (a port in the United States where customs officials are stationed to oversee the entry and exit of people and merchandise)

harbor; harbour; haven; seaport (a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo)

treaty port (a port in China or Korea or Japan that once was open to foreign trade on the basis of a trading treaty)

Instance hyponyms:

Durazzo; Durres (port city in western Albania on the Adriatic)

Algerian capital; Algiers (an ancient port on the Mediterranean; the capital and largest city of Algeria)

Annaba (a port city of northeastern Algeria near the Tunisian border)

Oran (a port city in northwestern Algeria and the country's 2nd largest city)

Angolan capital; Luanda (port city on Atlantic coast; the capital and largest city of Angola)

Lobito (a seaport on the Atlantic coast of Angola)

Bahia Blanca (a port city in eastern Argentina to the southwest of Buenos Aires on an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean)

Buenos Aires; capital of Argentina (capital and largest city of Argentina; located in eastern Argentina near Uruguay; Argentina's chief port and industrial and cultural center)

Varna (a port city in northeastern Bulgaria on the Black Sea)

Mawlamyine; Moulmein (a port city of southern Myanmar on the Gulf of Martaban)

Antofagasta (a port city on the Pacific in northern Chile)

Valparaiso (the chief port and second largest city of Chile; located on a wide harbor in central Chile)

Canton; Guangzhou; Kuangchou; Kwangchow (a city on the Zhu Jiang delta in southern China; the capital of Guangdong province and a major deep-water port)

Dairen; Dalian; Talien (a port and shipbuilding center in northeastern China on the Liaodong Peninsula; now a part of Luda)

Lushun; Port Arthur (a major port city in northeastern China on the Liaodong Peninsula; now a part of Luda)

Shanghai (the largest city of China; located in the east on the Pacific; one of the largest ports in the world)

Hong Kong (formerly a Crown Colony on the coast of southern China in Guangdong province; leased by China to Britain in 1842 and returned in 1997; one of the world's leading commercial centers)

Barranquilla (a port city of northern Colombia near the Caribbean on the Magdalena River)

Cartagena (a port city in northwestern Colombia on the Caribbean)

Aspinwall; Colon (a port city at the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal)

Acapulco; Acapulco de Juarez (a port and fashionable resort city on the Pacific coast of southern Mexico; known for beaches and water sports (including cliff diving))

Mazatlan (a port city in western Mexico on the Pacific Ocean; tourist center)

Tampico (a port city in eastern Mexico)

Veracruz (a major Mexican port on the Gulf of Mexico in the state of Veracruz)

Santiago; Santiago de Cuba (a port city in southeastern Cuba; industrial center)

Montego Bay (port and resort city in northwestern Jamaica)

Bridgetown; capital of Barbados (capital of Barbados; a port city on the southwestern coast of Barbados)

Cotonou (chief port of Benin on the Bight of Benin)

Aarhus; Arhus (port city of Denmark in eastern Jutland)

Aalborg; Alborg (a city and port in northern Jutland)

capital of Djibouti; Djibouti (port city on the Gulf of Aden; the capital and largest city of Djibouti)

capital of Norway; Christiania; Oslo (the capital and largest city of Norway; the country's main port; located at the head of a fjord on Norway's southern coast)

Bergen (a port city in southwestern Norway)

Stavanger (a port city in southwestern Norway; center for shipbuilding industry)

Nidaros; Trondheim (a port in central Norway on Trondheim Fjord)

Malmo (a port in southern Sweden)

Goeteborg; Goteborg; Gothenburg (a port in southwestern Sweden; second largest city in Sweden)

Bremerhaven (a port city in northwestern Germany at the mouth of the Weser River on the North Sea; has a deep natural harbor and is an important shipping center)

Hamburg (a port city in northern Germany on the Elbe River that was founded by Charlemagne in the 9th century and is today the largest port in Germany; in 1241 it formed an alliance with Lubeck that became the basis for the Hanseatic League)

Hannover; Hanover (a port city in northwestern Germany; formerly a member of the Hanseatic League)

Massawa (a port town in Eritrea on an inlet of the Red Sea)

capital of Finland; Finnish capital; Helsingfors; Helsinki (the capital and largest city of Finland; located in southern Finland; a major port and commercial and cultural center)

Maarianhamina; Mariehamn (a town that is the chief port of the Aland islands)

Corinth; Korinthos (the modern Greek port near the site of the ancient city that was second only to Athens)

Patrai; Patras (a port city in western Greece in the northwestern Peloponnese on an inlet of the Ionian Sea; was a major trade center from the 5th century BC to the 3rd century BC; commercial importance revived during the Middle Ages)

Salonica; Salonika; Thessalonica; Thessaloniki (a port city in northeastern Greece on an inlet of the Aegean Sea; second largest city of Greece)

Accho; Acre; Akka; Akko (a town and port in northwestern Israel in the eastern Mediterranean)

Haifa; Hefa (a major port in northwestern Israel)

Jaffa; Joppa; Yafo (a port in western Israel on the Mediterranean; incorporated into Tel Aviv in 1950)

Naples; Napoli (a port and tourist center in southwestern Italy; capital of the Campania region)

Messina (a port city in northeastern Sicily on the Strait of Messina)

Brindisi (a port city in southeastern Apulia in Italy; a center for the Crusades in the Middle Ages)

La Spezia (a port city in Liguria on an arm of the Ligurian Sea; a major seaport and year-round resort)

Palermo (the capital of Sicily; located in northwestern Sicily; an important port for 3000 years)

Dubrovnik; Ragusa (a port city in southwestern Croatia on the Adriatic; a popular tourist center)

Victoria (capital of the Canadian province of British Columbia on Vancouver Island)

Vancouver (a port city in southwestern British Columbia on an arm of the Pacific Ocean opposite Vancouver Island; Canada's chief Pacific port and third largest city)

Saint John; St. John (a port in eastern Canada; the largest city in New Brunswick)

Saint John's; St. John's (a port and provincial capital of Newfoundland)

Hamilton (a port city in southeastern Ontario at the western end of Lake Ontario)

Thunder Bay (a port city in Ontario on Lake Superior)

Hobart (a port and state capital of Tasmania)

Chittagong (a port city and industrial center in southeastern Bangladesh on the Bay of Bengal)

Antwerp; Antwerpen; Anvers (a busy port and financial center in northern Belgium on the Scheldt river; it has long been a center for the diamond industry and the first stock exchange was opened there in 1460)

Gand; Gent; Ghent (port city in northwestern Belgium and industrial center; famous for cloth industry)

Belem; Feliz Lusitania; Para; Santa Maria de Belem; St. Mary of Bethlehem (port city in northern Brazil in the Amazon delta; main port and commercial center for the Amazon River basin)

Natal (a port city in northeastern Brazil)

Pernambuco; Recife (a port city of northeastern Brazil on the Atlantic)

Santos (a port city in southwestern Brazil on an offshore island near Sao Paulo)

Hull; Kingston-upon Hull (a large fishing port in northeastern England)

Liverpool (a large city in northwestern England; its port is the country's major outlet for industrial exports)

Bristol (an industrial city and port in southwestern England near the mouth of the River Avon)

Newcastle; Newcastle-upon-Tyne (a port city in northeastern England on the River Tyne; a center for coal exports (giving rise to the expression 'carry coals to Newcastle' meaning to do something unnecessary))

Pompey; Portsmouth (a port city in southern England on the English Channel; Britain's major naval base)

Sunderland (a port and industrial city in northeastern England)

capital of Ireland; Dublin; Irish capital (capital and largest city and major port of the Irish Republic)

Cork (a port city in southern Ireland)

Galway (a port city in western Ireland on Galway Bay)

Limerick (port city in southwestern Ireland)

Waterford (a port city in southern Ireland; famous for glass industry)

Ayr (a port in southwestern Scotland)

Glasgow (largest city in Scotland; a port on the Clyde in west central Scotland; one of the great shipbuilding centers of the world)

Newport (a port city in southeastern Wales)

Swansea (a port city in southern Wales on an inlet of the Bristol Channel)

Alexandria; El Iskandriyah (the chief port of Egypt; located on the western edge of the Nile delta on the Mediterranean Sea; founded by Alexander the Great; the capital of ancient Egypt)

Al Qahira; Cairo; capital of Egypt; Egyptian capital; El Qahira (the capital of Egypt and the largest city in Africa, located near the ancient cities of Memphis (capital of the Pharaohs), Giza (the pyramids of Giza) and Fustat (the first capital of Egypt under Arab rule); a major port just south of the Nile delta)

Samarang; Semarang (a port city is southern Indonesia; located in northern Java)

Abadan (a port city in southwestern Iran)

Basia; Basra (the second largest city in Iraq; an oil port in southern Iraq)

Osaka (port city on southern Honshu on Osaka Bay; a commercial and industrial center of Japan)

Yokohama (port city on southeastern Honshu in central Japan)

Kobe (a port city in Japan on Osaka Bay in southern Honshu; was damaged by an earthquake in 1995)

Hiroshima (a port city on the southwestern coast of Honshu in Japan; on August 6, 1945 Hiroshima was almost completely destroyed by the first atomic bomb dropped on a populated area)

Nagasaki (a city in southern Japan on Kyushu; a leading port and shipbuilding center; on August 9, 1945 Nagasaki became the second populated area to receive an atomic bomb)

Kisumu (a port city in western Kenya on the northeastern shore of Lake Victoria; fishing and trading center)

Mombasa (a port city in southern Kenya on a coral island in a bay of the Indian Ocean)

Bordeaux (a port city in southwestern France; a major center of the wine trade)

Brest (a port city in northwestern France (in Brittany); the chief naval station of France)

Calais (a town in northern France on the Strait of Dover that serves as a ferry port to England; in 1347 it was captured by the English king Edward III after a long siege and remained in English hands until it was recaptured by the French king Henry II in 1558)

Cannes (a port and resort city on the French Riviera; site of an annual film festival)

Cherbourg (a port town in northwestern France on the English Channel; site of a naval base)

Dunkerque; Dunkirk (a seaport in northern France on the North Sea; scene of the evacuation of British forces in 1940 during World War II)

Le Havre (a port city in northern France on the English Channel at the mouth of the Seine)

Marseille; Marseilles (a port city in southeastern France on the Mediterranean)

Nantes (a port city in western France on the Loire estuary)

Toulon (a port city and naval base in southeastern France on the Mediterranean coast)

Banjul; capital of Gambia (a port city and capital of Gambia)

capital of Guinea; Conakry; Konakri (a port and the capital of Guinea)

Georgetown; Stabroek (port city and the capital and largest city of Guyana)

capital of Iceland; Reykjavik (the capital and chief port of Iceland on the southwestern coast of Iceland; buildings are heated by natural hot water)

Chemulpo; Incheon; Inchon (a port city in western South Korea on the Yellow Sea)

Pusan (a city in southeastern South Korea on the Korean Strait; the chief port and second largest city)

Tarabulus; Tarabulus Ash-Sham; Trablous; Tripoli (a port city and commercial center in northwestern Lebanon on the Mediterranean Sea)

Sur; Tyre (a port in southern Lebanon on the Mediterranean Sea; formerly a major Phoenician seaport famous for silks)

capital of Liberia; Liberian capital; Monrovia (the capital and chief port and largest city of Liberia)

Benghazi (port in northern Libya on the Gulf of Sidra; formerly a joint capital of Libya with Tripoli)

Port Louis (capital and chief port of Mauritius; located on the northwestern coast of the island)

Casablanca (a port on the Atlantic and the largest city of Morocco)

Beira (a port city in eastern Mozambique on the Mozambique Channel)

Auckland (the largest city and principal port of New Zealand)

Lagos (chief port and economic center of Nigeria; located in southwestern Nigeria on the Gulf of Guinea; former capital of Nigeria)

capital of Oman; Masqat; Muscat (a port on the Gulf of Oman and capital of the sultanate of Oman)

Asuncion; capital of Paraguay (the capital and chief port of Paraguay)

Danzig; Gdansk (a port city of northern Poland near the mouth of the Vistula River on a gulf of the Baltic Sea; a member of the Hanseatic League in the 14th century)

capital of Portugal; Lisboa; Lisbon (capital and largest city and economic and cultural center of Portugal; a major port in western Portugal on Tagus River where it broadens and empties into the Atlantic)

Oporto; Porto (port city in northwest Portugal; noted for port wine)

Setubal (a port city on the Atlantic coast of Portugal to the southeast of Lisbon)

Bida; capital of Qatar; Doha; El Beda (the capital and chief port of Qatar)

Castries (a port on the island of Saint Lucia; capital and largest city of Saint Lucia)

Pago Pago; Pango Pango (a port in American Samoa)

Jed'dah; Jeddah; Jidda; Jiddah (port city in western Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea; near Mecca)

capital of Senegal; Dakar (the capital and chief port and largest city of Senegal)

capital of Seychelles; Victoria (port city and the capital of Seychelles)

capital of Sierra Leone; Freetown (port city and the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone)

capital of Somalia; Mogadiscio; Mogadishu (the capital and largest city of Somalia; a port on the Indian Ocean)

Cape Town (port city in southwestern South Africa; the seat of the legislative branch of the government of South Africa)

Durban (a port city in eastern South Africa on the Indian Ocean; resort and industrial center)

Murmansk (a port city in northwestern Russia on the Kola Peninsula; the largest city to the north of the Arctic Circle; an important supply line to Russia in World War I and World War II)

Rostov; Rostov na Donu; Rostov on Don (a seaport on the Don River near the Sea of Azov in the European part of Russia)

capital of Estonia; Tallin; Tallinn (a port city on the Gulf of Finland that is the capital and largest city of Estonia)

capital of Latvia; Riga (a port city on the Gulf of Riga that is the capital and largest city of Latvia; formerly a member of the Hanseatic League)

Dneprodzerzhinsk (port city and industrial center in east central Ukraine on the Dnieper River)

Odesa; Odessa (a port city of south central Ukraine on an arm of the Black Sea)

Baku; capital of Azerbaijan (a port city on the Caspian Sea that is the capital of Azerbaijan and an important center for oil production)

Barcelona (a city in northeastern Spain on the Mediterranean; 2nd largest Spanish city and the largest port and commercial center; has been a center for radical political beliefs)

Cadiz (an ancient port city in southwestern Spain)

Cartagena (a port in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean)

Malaga (a port city and resort in Andalusia in southern Spain on the Mediterranean)

Sevilla; Seville (a city in southwestern Spain; a major port and cultural center; the capital of bullfighting in Spain)

Port Sudan (port city in Sudan on the Red Sea)

capital of Suriname; Paramaribo (the capital and largest city and major port of Surinam)

Al Ladhiqiyah; Latakia (a seaport on the western coast of Syria)

capital of Tanzania; Dar es Salaam (the capital and largest port city of Tanzania on the Indian Ocean)

Tanga (a port city in northeastern Tanzania on the Indian Ocean)

Bangkok; capital of Thailand; Krung Thep (the capital and largest city and chief port of Thailand; a leading city in southeastern Asia; noted for Buddhist architecture)

capital of Tunisia; Tunis (the capital and principal port of Tunisia)

Sousse; Susa; Susah (a port city in eastern Tunisia on the Mediterranean)

Adalia; Antalya (a port city in southwestern Turkey on the Gulf of Antalya)

Izmir; Smyrna (a port city in western Turkey)

Dubai (port city in the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf)

Mobile (a port in southwestern Alabama on Mobile Bay)

Valdez (a port on Alaska's southern coast from which oil is shipped to markets around the world)

Oakland (a city in western California on San Francisco Bay opposite San Francisco; primarily and industrial urban center)

Bridgeport (a port in southwestern Connecticut on Long Island Sound)

Savannah (a port in eastern Georgia near the mouth of the Savannah river)

capital of Hawaii; Hawaiian capital; Honolulu (the capital and largest city of Hawaii; located on a large bay on the island of Oahu)

Chicago; Windy City (largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan)

Baltimore (the largest city in Maryland; a major seaport and industrial center)

Alpena (a town in northern Michigan on an arm of Lake Huron)

Detroit; Motor City; Motown (the largest city in Michigan and a major Great Lakes port; center of the United States automobile industry; located in southeastern Michigan on the Detroit river across from Windsor)

Duluth (a city in northeast Minnesota on Lake Superior)

Gateway to the West; Saint Louis; St. Louis (the largest city in Missouri; a busy river port on the Mississippi River near its confluence with the Missouri River; was an important staging area for wagon trains westward in the 19th century)

Portsmouth (a port town in southeastern New Hampshire on the Atlantic Ocean)

Charleston (a port city in southeastern South Carolina)

Houston (the largest city in Texas; located in southeastern Texas near the Gulf of Mexico; site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

Newport News (a port city in southeastern Virginia at the mouth of the James River off Hampton Roads; large shipyards)

Norfolk (port city located in southeastern Virginia on the Elizabeth River at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay; headquarters of the Atlantic fleet of the United States Navy)

Portsmouth (a port city in southeastern Virginia on the Elizabeth River opposite Norfolk; naval base; shipyards)

Ciudad Bolivar (a port in eastern Venezuela on the Orinoco river)

Cumana (a port city in northeastern Venezuela on the Caribbean Sea; founded in 1523, it is the oldest European settlement in South America)

Maracaibo (a port city in northwestern Venezuela; a major oil center)

Haiphong (a port city in northern Vietnam; industrial center)

Aden (an important port of Yemen; located on the Gulf of Aden; its strategic location has made it a major trading center of southern Arabia since ancient times)

Al-Hudaydah; Hodeida (an important port in Yemen on the Red Sea)

Al-Mukalla; Mukalla (a port in southern Yemen on the Gulf of Aden to the east of Aden)

Derivation:

port (land at or reach a port)

port (bring to port)

 II. (adjective) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Located on the left side of a ship or aircraft

Synonyms:

larboard; port

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

left (being or located on or directed toward the side of the body to the west when facing north)

Derivation:

port (the left side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose)

 III. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Modify (software) for use on a different machine or platform

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "port" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Drink port

Example:

We were porting all in the club after dinner

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Hypernyms (to "port" is one way to...):

booze; drink; fuddle; hit the bottle (consume alcohol)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

port (sweet dark-red dessert wine originally from Portugal)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Carry or hold with both hands diagonally across the body, especially of weapons

Example:

port a rifle

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "port" is one way to...):

carry; transport (move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Carry, bear, convey, or bring

Example:

The small canoe could be ported easily

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "port" is one way to...):

carry; transport (move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

portage (carrying boats and supplies overland)

porter (a person employed to carry luggage and supplies)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Turn or go to the port or left side, of a ship

Example:

The big ship was slowly porting

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "port" is one way to...):

turn (change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

port (the left side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Land at or reach a port

Example:

The ship finally ported

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "port" is one way to...):

land; set down (reach or come to rest)

Verb group:

port (bring to port)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

port (a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Bring to port

Example:

the captain ported the ship at night

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Verb group:

port (land at or reach a port)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

port (a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Put or turn on the left side, of a ship

Example:

port the helm

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "port" is one way to...):

turn (cause to move around or rotate)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

port (the left side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Pray, what would become of us poor sailors' wives, who often want to be conveyed to one port or another, after our husbands, if everybody had your feelings?

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

But it is not the cruisers that fight the country’s battles and blockade the enemy’s ports.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A type of laparoscopic surgery where the surgeon uses both a laparoscope and his or her hand to help with dissection, retraction, and removal of tissue through a hand port incision.

(Hand Assisted Laparoscopy, NCI Thesaurus)

Mucosal immunity promotes resistance toward bacteria, viruses, and parasites in these ports of entry into the body.

(Mucosal Immunity, NCI Thesaurus)

Mucosal epithelia in the gastrointestinal, respiratory, and reproductive tracts produce a form of IgA (IGA, SECRETORY) that serves to protect these ports of entry into the body.

(Mucosal Immunity, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Lindsay sees a future where malaria-sniffing dogs greet travelers at ports of entry, helping medical personnel sniff out infected travelers.

(The Dog's Nose Knows Malaria, Kevin Enochs/VOA)

In June of ’95, only one of their line had reached a home port.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

One evening, shortly after my arrival, we were sitting over a glass of port after dinner, when young Trevor began to talk about those habits of observation and inference which I had already formed into a system, although I had not yet appreciated the part which they were to play in my life.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It is a very strange sensation to inexperienced youth to feel itself quite alone in the world, cut adrift from every connection, uncertain whether the port to which it is bound can be reached, and prevented by many impediments from returning to that it has quitted.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

The officers of the —shire were in general a very creditable, gentlemanlike set, and the best of them were of the present party; but Mr. Wickham was as far beyond them all in person, countenance, air, and walk, as they were superior to the broad-faced, stuffy uncle Phillips, breathing port wine, who followed them into the room.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)