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# The Good Oil Word of the Day
- URL: https://goodoil.news/the-good-oil-word-of-the-day-54/
- Published: 2024-09-18T18:15:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-09-18T18:14:59.000Z
- Author: David Theobald
- Tags: General, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-20 04:39

The word for today is…

purport (verb, noun): 

*verb*

1: to have the often specious appearance of being, intending, or claiming (something implied or inferred)

also : claim - 'foreign novels which he purports to have translated' 

2: intend, purpose

*noun*

 : meaning conveyed, professed, or implied : import 

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : The Latin verb portare, meaning “to carry,” was the port of entry for many an English word, from the noun portfolio to familiar verbs report, support, and transport. (The port a ship uses comes from a different Latin source: portus, meaning “port.”) Purport too ultimately comes from portare, although its direct ancestor is the Anglo-French verb purporter, meaning “to carry” or “to mean.” Today, purport is typically used when someone or something makes a claim that may or may not be true; something purported to be a fact is not at all a sure thing. The skepticism that modern purporting generally requires wasn’t present in the original verb, however. In the late 17th century, a purported claim was assumed as true as any. And three centuries before that, to purport a message, idea, etc., was simply to convey it. Purport can also function as a noun with a meaning closely related to the older verb one: it can refer to the main or general meaning conveyed in a piece of writing, in someone’s actions, etc., as in “the purport of the visit” or “the essay’s purport.” 

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