Etymology : Middle English pasport, from Middle French passeport, from passer to pass + port port, from Latin portus; more at FORD
Pronunciation : 'pas-"pOrt, -"port
Function : noun
Date : 15th century
1. official document issued by a given country that identifies one's citizenship and personal details and allows passage into foreign countries. passport\pass"port\ , n. [f. passeport, orig., a permission to leave a port or to sail into it; passer to pass + port a port, harbor. see:
pass, and port a harbor.].
2. permission to pass; a document given by the competent officer of a state, permitting the person therein named to pass or travel from place to place, without molestation, by land or by water. caution in granting passports to ireland.
3. a document carried by neutral merchant vessels in time of war, to certify their nationality and protect them from belligerents; a sea letter.
4. a license granted in time of war for the removal of persons and effects from a hostile country; a safe-conduct.
5. figuratively: anything which secures advancement and general acceptance. sidney. his passport is his innocence and grace.passport n.
6. any authorization to pass or go somewhere; "the pass to visit had a strict time limit" [syn: pass].
7. a document issued by a country to a citizen allowing that person to travel abroad and re-enter the home country.
8. any quality or characteristic that gains a person acceptance or admission; "his wealth was not a passport into the exclusive circles of society".
9. Permission to pass; a document given by the competent officer of a state, permitting the person therein named to pass or travel from place to place, without molestation, by land or by water.
10. A document carried by neutral merchant vessels in time of war, to certify their nationality and protect them from belligerents; a sea letter.
11. A license granted in time of war for the removal of persons and effects from a hostile country; a safe- conduct.
12. Figuratively: Anything which secures advancement and general acceptance. a document issued by a country to a citizen allowing that person to travel abroad and re-enter the home country.
13. 1. Your passport is an official document containing your name, photograph, and personal details, which you need to show when you enter or leave a country. You should take your passport with you when changing money. a South African businessman travelling on a British passport.
14. If you say that a thing is a passport to success or happiness, you mean that this thing makes success or happiness possible. Victory would give him a passport to the riches he craves. Document issued by a national government identifying a traveler as a citizen with a right to protection while abroad and a right to return to the country of citizenship. It is normally a small booklet containing a description and photograph of the bearer. Most nations require entering travelers to obtain a visa, an endorsement on the passport showing that the proper authorities have examined it and permitting the bearer to enter the country and remain for a specified period.