Portia

views updated Jun 11 2018

Portia name of the heroine in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, who, dressed in men's clothes, successfully defends her husband's friend Antonio from the prosecution of Shylock; her name may be used allusively for a female advocate or barrister.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

Portia

views updated May 08 2018

Portia (Uranus XII) One of the lesser satellites of Uranus, with a diameter of 55 km. It was discovered in 1986.

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY

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Portia

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