Comport

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /kəmˈpɔː(ɹ)t/

Definitions

1. To conduct oneself in a particular manner, often referring to appropriate behavior ; to be consistent or in harmony with something else, showing agreement
2. To act or carry oneself with a certain demeanor or attitude ; to correspond or be compatible with another element in agreement
3. To present oneself in a specified way, especially with proper or becoming conduct ; to accord or be fitting with, indicating harmony or conformity

Etymology: The verb "comport" started out as a plain physical idea: to carry things together. Its ancestor, Latin "comportare," joined "com-" ("together") to "portare" ("to carry"), so the earliest sense was literally bringing or gathering items into one place. The Old French "comporter" kept that sense of bearing or bringing, and it was from there that English borrowed the word in the late Middle Ages. The shift from carrying to conduct happened gradually. To "comport" something came to mean to bear oneself, to behave in a certain manner, and that is why the modern sense concerns how a person presents themselves, especially with becoming or proper behaviour. The other sense, to agree or be consistent with something, grew from the same idea of things being carried or fitted together, so that one thing "comports with" another when they sit comfortably side by side.

Synonyms: conduct, behave, act

Antonyms: misbehave, disobey