The term portfolio has an interesting history, with early variations such as port-folio and portefolio. However, its first documented appearance in a 1713 collection of stories was as Porto Folio. This points to its Italian origin, from the word portafoglio meaning “case for carrying papers”, which is similar to one of its modern definitions. The word is a combination of the verb portare, meaning “to carry”, and the word foglio, meaning “sheet” – the connection is quite clear. Portare can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root per, which means “traverse”, while foglio comes from the Latin word for “leaf”, folium (the origin of words like foliage, frond, foil, and others). Interestingly, folium stems from Proto-Indo-European bleh, which can be interpreted as “blossom” or “flower”. So, when delving into the etymology, a portfolio can be seen as a “blossom traverse” – adding an extra layer of intrigue to the concept of carrying sheets.
