Portland

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A major city located in the northwest region of the United States in Oregon ; A coastal city in the northeastern United States in Maine known for its maritime history ; A widely used type of hydraulic cement created by heating limestone and clay, named after the stone quarried in the Portland area of England
2. An urban center in Oregon famous for its culture and environment ; A Maine city known for fishing and historic port activity ; A common construction material made by grinding clinker resulting from heating limestone and clay
3. A populous Pacific Northwest city noted for its arts scene and proximity to natural landscapes ; A northeastern seaboard city with a notable harbor and seafood tradition ; A building cement produced by processing a mixture of limestone and clay, used worldwide in concrete

Etymology: The name of the Oregon city is a plain compound of "port" and "land," and the city's name reflects a famous decision made in 1845. Two founders, Asa Lovejoy from Massachusetts and Francis Pettygrove from Maine, laid out a settlement on the Willamette River and each wanted to name it after his hometown. They settled the dispute with a coin toss, and Pettygrove won, so the town took the name of Portland, Maine rather than Boston, Massachusetts. Portland, Maine itself is named for Sir Alexander Pope's... no, it is named after the English Portland title, a place-name built from the same two words. The shared elements are "port," from Latin "portus" meaning harbour, and "land," the Old English word for ground. Combined, they describe a town with a harbour where ships dock and cargo comes ashore, which suits a city on a river navigable by ocean vessels.

Synonyms: city, town, urban area