# portfolio

Pronunciation: say "port-FOH-lee-oh" US /pɔɹtˈfoʊ.liˌoʊ/, UK /pɔːtˈfəʊ.liˌəʊ/, AUS /poːtˈfəʉ.liˌəʉ/

## Noun

1. The collection of investments and other assets held by an investor.
   - Simple: A set of investments, such as stocks and bonds, owned by one person or group.
   - _Her investment portfolio included real estate, equities, and government bonds._
   - _Diversified portfolios tend to weather market downturns better than concentrated ones._
2. A collection of work samples, especially the works of an artist or photographer.
   - Simple: A set of work samples, especially an artist's or photographer's best pieces.
   - _The young illustrator's portfolio impressed the gallery owner._
   - _He spent the weekend assembling a portfolio of his architectural drawings._
3. A flat, portable case designed to hold loose sheets such as drawings, maps, photographs, and other papers.
   - Simple: A flat case used to carry papers, drawings, and other documents.
   - _The artist tucked the loose sketches into a leather portfolio._
   - _Architects once carried their blueprints in oversized portfolios._
4. A collection of assets, or more broadly any group of things regarded as investments or assets, and rarely even liabilities.
   - Simple: A group of things that a person or group owns and treats as valuable, like investments.
   - _The university manages a portfolio of patents and research projects._
   - _Critics argued the agency's portfolio of obligations had grown into a list of liabilities._
5. The range of products that a company offers or sells.
   - Simple: The full set of products that a company makes or sells.
   - _The firm expanded its portfolio to include electric vehicles._
   - _A broad portfolio of products protects a brand against shifting demand._
6. The office and duties held by a cabinet minister, or by anyone else in charge of a government department.
   - Simple: The job and duties of a government minister in charge of a department.
   - _The prime minister handed her the finance portfolio._
   - _He held the defense portfolio for nearly a decade._

## Origin

From Italian portafoglio, related to French portefeuille ("folder, wallet"), from Latin portāre ("to carry") and folium ("sheet"). The sense of a "collection of responsibilities" arose by extension in the 1930s.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/portfolio (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).