I hardly ever see or hear this great word. But I love this expression I just heard the other day,"Do not blame me if you have inferred what I took such pains to imply."pur·port (pr-pôrt, -prt)
tr.v. pur·port·ed, pur·port·ing, pur·ports
1. To have or present the often false appearance of being or intending; profess: selfish behavior that purports to be altruistic.
2. To have the intention of doing; purpose.
n. (pûrpôrt, -prt)
1. Meaning presented, intended, or implied; import. See Synonyms at substance.
2. Intention; purpose.
[Middle English purporten, to set forth, from Anglo-Norman purporter : pur-, forth (from Latin pr-; see pro-1) + porter, to carry (from Latin portre; see per-2 in Indo-European roots).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words AntonymsNoun 1. purport - the intended meaning of a communication
intent, spirit
meaning, signification, import, significance - the message that is intended or expressed or signified; "what is the meaning of this sentence"; "the significance of a red traffic light"; "the signification of Chinese characters"; "the import of his announcement was ambigtuous"
2. purport - general meaning or tenor; "caught the drift of the conversation"
drift
tenor, strain - pervading note of an utterance; "I could follow the general tenor of his argument"
Verb 1. purport - have the often specious appearance of being, intending, or claiming; "The letter purports to express people's opinion"
claim - assert or affirm strongly; state to be true or existing; "He claimed that he killed the burglar"
2. purport - propose or intend; "I aim to arrive at noon"
purpose, aim, propose
intend, mean, think - have in mind as a purpose; "I mean no harm"; "I only meant to help you"; "She didn't think to harm me"; "We thought to return early that night"
mark purports-to-be Bailey
