Is the origin of the english word “portion” related to the greek word “phortion”?
The Koine Greek word “phortion” means “a burden”, whereas that “portion” means “a part of something”. Portion is directly from the French word, meaning the same, which ultimately derives from the Latin portio, meaning “part”. The English words that derive from Greek are few in number compared with those which come from Latin. This is because of the influence of Ancient Rome on Europe, and also because of the later influence of French on English after the Conquest in 1066. The Greeks had only limited influence, and that chanelled through Rome as well. Although English is a Germanic language, over 50% of its vocabulary is Latin based. The vocabulary that is Greek based is generally in the field of science or religion.