[ad. L. comportā-re to carry together, and F. comport-er to endure, bear, suffer, conduct (oneself), behave: the L. f. com- + portāre to carry.]
† 1. trans. To bear, endure; to tolerate. Obs.
1588. A. King, trans. Canisius’ Catech., 175. We that ar stark (sayes the apostle) man comport the imbecillitie of the waiker.
1597. Daniel, Civ. Wares, I. lxx. The malecontented sort, That … never can the present state comport. Ibid. (a. 1619), Coll. Hist. Eng. (1626), 129. A Queene Dowager of England … could not comport a superior so neare her doore.
1667. G. Digby, Elvira, II., in Hazl., Dodsley, XV. 25. How does that noble beauty … Comport her servile metamorphosis?
1716. M. Davies, Athen. Brit., III. Pallas Angl., 31. Whose Necessities they are oftentimes as far from … Bearing or Comporting.
1818. Colebrooke, Oblig. & Contracts, I. 70. Words taken in a sense which they comport.
† b. To bear, suffer, allow, permit that. Obs.
1616. Brent, trans. Sarpi’s Hist. Council Trent (1676), 662. The time did not comport that the course of divine matters … should be hindred by humane contentions.
1646. F. Hawkins, Youth’s Behav., iii. § 2 (1663), 14. Amongst them the custome doth comport in certain places that they Thou one another more freely.
† 2. intr. To comport with: to bear with, put up with, tolerate, endure, suffer. Obs.
1565. Sir W. Cecil, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., II. 172. II. 296. She … prayeth hir Maty here to comport with hir untill she will send on of hirs hyther.
a. 1661. Fuller, Worthies, II. 9. Being unable to comport with his Oppression.
1679. in Gutch, Coll. Cur., I. 274. If the University of Oxford … were to comport with the privileges granted before to the King’s Printers.
1697. R. Peirce, Bath Mem., I. xi. 242. She needed both drinking, bathing, and pumping, but had not Strength to comport with either.
1851. Carlyle, Sterling, III. v. (1872), 214. The family … could at any rate comport with no long absence.
† b. refl. in same sense. Obs. rare.
1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., III. i. § 2. Many … Bishops … unable to Comport themselves with his harshness … quitted their preferments.
3. refl. To conduct or behave oneself; to act in a particular manner, to behave. Also transf.
1616. Lane, Sqr.’s Tale, XI. 53. How thwhole court of knightes gann them comport in glorious wellcoms.
1669. Woodhead, St. Teresa, II. iii. 20. He comported himself with extraordinary courage.
1830. Herschel, Stud. Nat. Phil., 314. The heat which accompanies the sun’s rays comports itself, in all respects, like light.
1858. Jas. Martineau, Stud. Christianity, 221. It would be curious to know how the Christians comported themselves when the priest of the Sun became monarch of the world.
† 4. intr. (for refl.) To behave. Obs.
1616. Lane, Sqr.’s Tale, XI. 233. Wheare they with goodliest complementes comported.
1663. R. Hawkins, Youths Behav., 100. Comport, to compose the gesture.
1673. Rules of Civility, ix. 86. How we are to Comport in our Congratulations and Condolements with great Persons.
a. 1734. North, Lives (1826), III. 371. I cannot say how he would have comported under it.
† b. To comport with: to deal with, treat. Obs.
1675. trans. Machiavelli’s Prince, xv. Wks. 219. In what manner a prince ought to comport with his subjects.
1689. Dial. betw. Timothy & Titus, 11. Now how do you Comport with it in your Practice?
5. intr. To comport with: to agree with, accord with; to suit, befit.
1589. R. Bruce, Exhort. 2 Tim. ii. (Wodrow), 375. Sik a meaning as the words may bear, and as their signification may comport with.
1603. Daniel, Def. Rhime (1717), 31. A Tragedy would indeed best comport with a Blank Verse.
1685. Evelyn, Mrs. Godolphin. How her detachment from Royall servitude would comport with her.
1734. Watts, Reliq. Juv. (1789), 214. They do all that nature and art can do to comport with his will.
1884. Speedy, Sport, xvi. 288. Such wholesale slaughter [of pheasants] does not comport with our opinion as to what really constitutes sport.
† 6. trans. ? To befit, or ? to bear upon. Obs. rare.
1604. Drayton, Moses, I. What respects he the negociating Matters comporting emperie and state?
† 7. lit. To carry or bring together, collect. Obs. rare.
a. 1641. Bp. Mountagu, Acts & Mon., 40. The materialls were comported from the Gentiles.
a. 1660. [see COMPORTATION].
† 8. To comport the pike: to carry it grasped near the middle and pressed to the right side of the body, with the point raised. Obs.
See description and figure in Pistofilo, Oplomachia (1621), where this ‘modo’ is said to be new, and practised by some French captains, particularly those of the King’s Guard; also in Alfieri, La Picca (1641), 16, ‘Come porti la picca il capitano.’ (In neither of these is any particular name applied to this ‘modo.’) The mode of coming to the ‘comport’ is fully described in The Perfection of Military Discipline after Newest Methods (1690), p. 24.
1635–43. Barriffe, Mil. Discip., cxiii. (1661), 150. Comporting your Half-pikes martching, is to be understood, when you martch under Trees, or some such place where they cannot be ordered or advanced.
1634. Peacham, Compl. Gent. (1661), 299. Postures for the Pike. (15) Shoulder. (16) Port your Pikes. (17) Comport your Pikes. (18) Order your Pikes.
1650. R. Elton, Art Milit., viii. (1668), 6. The comporting of the Pike is only useful to the souldier marching up a hill; for if then he should be shouldered, the butt-end of the Pike would always be touching of the ground.
1688. J. S., Art of War, 7. Captains and Lieutenants are to carry their pikes comported.
