Q: "portagraion" -- a "mathematical instrument" circa 1745?

[Joel S. Berson]

Thanks, Doug.  I had gone as far in wild-carding the OED as
"port?g*", but hadn't thought of replacing the "g" with a "c", either
in searching or sounding the word!  ("Port*" looked like it would
over-produce.)

Joel

At 2/5/2006 02:04 PM, you wrote:
>Probably = "port-crayon" (also "porto-crion") (French "porte-crayon")
>meaning a crayon holder (OED). "Crayon" was sometimes spelled "craion" (OED).
>
>-- Doug Wilson

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