Portion vs Sum - What's the difference?
portion | sum | Synonyms |
An allocated amount.
That which is divided off or separated, as a part from a whole; a separated part of anything.
One's fate; lot.
* Bible, Luke xii. 46
* Keble
The part of an estate given or falling to a child or heir; an inheritance.
* Bible, Luke xv. 12
A wife's fortune; a dowry.
* 1613 , , V. iv. 31:
To divide into amounts, as for allocation to specific purposes.
To endow with a portion or inheritance.
A quantity obtained by addition or aggregation.
* Bible, Numbers i. 2
(often plural) An arithmetic computation, especially one posed to a student as an exercise (not necessarily limited to addition).
* Charles Dickens
A quantity of money.
* Bible, Acts xxii. 28
A summary; the principal points or thoughts when viewed together; the amount; the substance; compendium.
A central idea or point.
The utmost degree.
* Milton
(obsolete) An old English measure of corn equal to the quarter.
* 1882 , James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England , Volume 4, page 207:
To add together.
* 2005 , .
To give a summary of.
In transitive terms the difference between portion and sum
is that portion is to endow with a portion or inheritance while sum is to give a summary of.portion
English
Noun
(en noun)- The lord of that servant will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
- Man's portion is to die and rise again.
- Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.
- Commend me to her, and to piece her portion / Tender her this.
Usage notes
Relatively formal, compared to the more informal part or more concrete and casual piece. For example, “part of the money” (both informal) but “portion of the proceeds” (both formal).Synonyms
* part * pieceDerived terms
* portionless * proportionVerb
(en verb)- Him portioned maids, apprenticed orphans, blest. — Alexander Pope.
Usage notes
* Particularly used as portion out. * Relatively formal, compared to the more informal divide, divide up, or the casual divvy, divvy up.Synonyms
* divide, divide up * divvy, divvy upDerived terms
* portion off * portion outExternal links
* * ----sum
English
(wikipedia sum)Etymology 1
(etyl) summe, from (etyl), from (etyl) summa, feminine of .Noun
(en noun)- The sum of 3 and 4 is 7.
- Take ye the sum of all the congregation.
- We're learning about division, and the sums are tricky.
- a large sheet of paper covered with long sums
- a tidy sum
- the sum of forty pounds
- With a great sum obtained I this freedom.
- This is the sum of all the evidence in the case.
- This is the sum and substance of his objections.
- Thus have I told thee all my state, and brought / My story to the sum of earthly bliss.
- The sum is also used for the quarter, and the strike for the bushel.
Synonyms
* (quantity obtained by addition or aggregation) amount, sum total, summation, total, totality * (arithmetic computation) calculation, computation * (quantity of money) amount, quantity of money, sum of money * (summary) See summary * (central idea or point) center/centre, core, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, nub, nitty-gritty, pith substance * (utmost degree) See summit * quarterDerived terms
* a tidy sum * checksum * empty sum * nullary sumSee also
* addition, summation: (augend) + (addend) = (summand) + (summand) = (sum, total) * subtraction: (minuend) ? (subtrahend) = (difference) * multiplication: (multiplier) × (multiplicand) = (factor) × (factor) = (product) * division: (dividend) ÷ (divisor) = (quotient), remainder left over if divisor does not divide dividendVerb
(summ)- when you say that stability and change are, it's because you're summing them up together as embraced by it, and taking note of the communion each of them has with being.