porter

Porter is a term with several related meanings. In brewing, porter is a dark, full-bodied beer that originated in London in the early 18th century. It was produced from roasted malt, with a character that ranges from malty and chocolatey to roasty and coffee-like. The style helped give rise to stout, a stronger variant, and today porter encompasses a spectrum including brown porter, robust porter, and imperial porter, with flavors that can be sweet, dry, or bitter depending on the brewer.

Porter also refers to an occupation. A porter is a person hired to carry luggage or goods, commonly seen at hotels, train stations, airports, and hospitals. Traditionally, porters assisted travelers and customers with their baggage and with basic logistics; modern roles can involve customer service, guidance, and handling of parcels or supplies.

As a surname, Porter is of English origin and historically denotes a person who carried goods or served as a porter. The name is an occupational surname derived from earlier forms in English and French, and it is widely found in the English-speaking world today.

Porter is also used as a toponym. There are places named Porter in various countries, particularly in the United States, where towns or districts may bear the name. The term can therefore appear in geographic contexts as well as in food, occupation, and genealogy discussions.