A porter is a railway employee. The role of a porter is to assist passengers at railway stations, and to handle the loading, unloading, and distribution of luggage and parcels. In the United States the term was formerly used for employees who attended to passengers aboard sleeping cars, a usage unknown to British or Commonwealth English where such staff are known as attendants or stewards,[1][2][3] terms which are also common in translation in non-English speaking European train travel.[4]
The word derives from the Latin portare, meaning "to carry." Hence, in railroad use, the application to someone who carries baggage and parcels of passengers, among other duties.[5]
- ^ Sleeping car Stewards referenced by the BBC on English-Scottish sleeper trains.
- ^ Stewards referenced at Seat 61 international rail travel site.
- ^ Alternative Attendant term at Rough Guides website.
- ^ See sleeper Stewards referenced at ItaliaRail website.
- ^ "Porter". Wiktionary. Retrieved 12 March 2018.