Word of the Day Archive
Thursday February 3, 2000
comport \kum-PORT\ , transitive verb:
1. To conduct or behave (oneself) in a particular manner.
intransitive verb:
1. To be fitting; to accord; to agree -- usually followed by 'with'.
Considered friendly and funny in private, the queen has a formal, remote air in public that some people attribute to shyness and others say is a reflection of her belief that, as monarch, she should comport herself with dignity and restraint.
-- Sarah Lyall, "Tradition and Personality Keep Elizabeth Far From Her Subjects", New York Times, September 5, 1997
Her aides comport themselves like members of a cult, their faces a jittery mix of adoration and fear.
-- Maureen Dowd, "Siamese Senators", New York Times, May 26, 1999
It comports with the clear meaning of the U.S. Constitution.
-- "Making War the Legal Way", Denver Rocky Mountain News, March 26, 1998
Fairchild says he decides cases "to comport with previous law and also with justice."
-- Cary Segall, "Fairchild Keeps on Judgin'", Wisconsin State Journal, August 1, 1999
Comport comes from Medieval French comporter, "to conduct," from Latin comportare, "to carry, to bring together," from com-, "with, together" + portare, "to carry."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for comport
