porter

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A person employed to carry burdens, especially an attendant who carries travelers' baggage at a hotel or transportation station.
2. n. A railroad employee who waits on passengers in a sleeping car or parlor car.
3. n. A maintenance worker for a building or institution.
4. n. Chiefly British One in charge of a gate or door.
5. n. A dark beer resembling light stout, made from malt browned or charred by drying at a high temperature.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. One who has the charge of a door or gate; a doorkeeper or gate-keeper.
2. n. One who bears or carries; a bearer; a carrier; specifically, a person who carries burdens, etc., or runs errands for hire: as, a railway or dock porter.
3. n. A law officer who carries a white or silver rod before the justices in eyre.
4. n. Eccles., same as ostiary.
5. n. That which is used in bearing, supporting, or carrying. A lever. Withals.
6. n. A dark-brown malt liquor, of English origin. It is made either wholly or partially of high-dried malt, which gives color and imparts a special flavor to the liquor. Top-fermentation in large tuns, lasting from 48 to 60 hours, is followed by after-fermentation in smaller casks or transport-barrels, lasting several days. The after-fermentation clarifies the liquor, from which the air is then excluded by bunging the casks.
7. n. A rope-carrier or supporter; a wheel or roller on a support used to sustain a traction- or transmission-rope and prevent its sagging and striking the ground between its terminal points.

Wiktionary

1. n. A person who carries luggage and related objects.
2. n. A person in control of the entrance to a building.
3. n. In the bowling industry, an employee who clears and cleans tables and puts bowling balls away.
4. n. A strong, dark ale, originally favored by porters, similar to a stout but less strong.
5. n. Ireland Another name for the malt brew stout.
6. n. computing One who ports software (converts it to another platform).
7. v. To serve as a porter, to carry.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A man who has charge of a door or gate; a doorkeeper; one who waits at the door to receive messages.
2. n. A carrier; one who carries or conveys burdens, luggage, etc.; for hire.
3. n. (Forging) A bar of iron or steel at the end of which a forging is made; esp., a long, large bar, to the end of which a heavy forging is attached, and by means of which the forging is lifted and handled in hammering and heating; -- called also porter bar.
4. n. A malt liquor, of a dark color and moderately bitter taste, possessing tonic and intoxicating qualities.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. United States composer and lyricist of musical comedies (1891-1946)
2. n. United States writer of novels and short stories (1890-1980)
3. n. United States writer of short stories whose pen name was O. Henry (1862-1910)
4. v. carry luggage or supplies
5. n. a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
6. n. a railroad employee who assists passengers (especially on sleeping cars)
7. n. someone who guards an entrance
8. n. a very dark sweet ale brewed from roasted unmalted barley