Purport

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /pəˈpɔːt/

Definitions

1. To present oneself as something, often with an implied claim that may be unverified ; the intended meaning or general sense of a statement, document, or action
2. To assert or declare an identity or intention, sometimes falsely or misleadingly ; the underlying purpose or gist that something aims to convey
3. To claim or appear to be a certain thing without proof ; the essential message or main idea communicated by words or actions

Etymology: "Purport" began as a verb meaning to carry or convey something forth, a sense that has nothing to do with pretence. It came into Middle English as "purporten," borrowed from Anglo-Norman "purporter," itself drawn from Old French "porporter," which meant "convey, contain, carry." The word is built from "pur-," coming from Latin "pro," meaning "forth," joined to Old French "porter," meaning "carry," which traces back to Latin "portō." The Latin root "portō" is the same one behind English "port" in the sense of carrying, as in "portable" and "transport." So the word's core idea is simply movement of something outward. A document could purport to contain a message, and that sense of "containing" or "carrying" a meaning is where the later uses grew from. The sense of claiming or pretending, as in a letter that purports to be from a bank, developed from this idea of something presenting or setting itself forth. The noun sense, meaning the gist or underlying intent of something, follows the same line: the meaning that a text or speech carries within it.

Synonyms: claim, allege, assert, profess, intend

Antonyms: deny, reject, contradict, disavow, disclaim