英 [pə'pɔːt] 美 [pər'pɔːrt]
v.意味着；声称；意图 n.意义；要旨；大要
◉Etymology
“Purport” 源于中古英语 “purporde”，由拉丁语 “proponere” 演变而来，意为“提出”或“提议”。后来，“purport” 逐渐演变为表示某事物的表面意义或宣称的内容。这个词在16世纪进入英语，至今仍广泛用于法律、文学和日常语言中。
◉外刊例句
① 《华尔街日报》 (The Wall Street Journal), 2023年7月5日
“The purport of the new legislation is to protect small businesses from excessive regulations.”
“这项新立法的意图是为了保护小企业免受过多监管的影响。”
② 《国家地理》 (National Geographic), 2022年11月18日
“Scientists are questioning the purport of the ancient text, which seems to contradict established theories.”
“科学家们正在质疑这段古代文本的意图，因为它似乎与已确立的理论相矛盾。”
◉经典名著
在查尔斯·狄更斯的《双城记》（A Tale of Two Cities）中，“purport” 用于指出某些事件的深层含义：
“The purport of his speech was lost on many, but a few understood the true significance of his words.”
“他的演讲的意图对许多人来说是模糊的，但少数人理解了他话语的真正意义。”
◉Usage Examples
(1) Her letter may purport her forthcoming arrival.
(2) His plans are not what they purport to be.
(3) I do not understand the purport of your question.
(4) Even now, there is someone else who gives us special purport in life.
(5) The purport of what he said is that he is right.
(6) I find it difficult to understand the purport of his speech.
(7) The purport of the statement is that the firm is bankrupt.
(1) 她的来信可能意味着她快要到了。
(2) 他的计划并不如他们所声称的那样。
(3) 我不知道你的意思。
(4) 尽管如此,还会有其他人对我们有着特殊的意义。
(5) 他说话的涵义是说他是对的。
(6) 我发现要了解他的演讲主旨是很困难的。
(7) 该项声明大意是说该商行已经破产。
◉Usage Notes
Use purport when you want to convince people about something that might not be true, like when you purport that the dog ate your homework.
The verb purport can mean "to claim" — whether you mean it or not — or "to intend," like when you purport to study all night. So it makes sense that as a noun, purport means the intention or purpose, like the purport of a political candidate's speech was to get your vote. If the speech was long and hard to follow, you might be lucky just to get the purport, which here means "the main point or meaning."
◉Colins
1. [VERB 动词]声称；自称；标榜 If you say that someone or something purports to do or be a particular thing, you mean that they claim to do or be that thing, although you may not always believe that claim. [V to-inf] [FORMAL 正式]
...a book that purports to tell the whole truth.
声称要讲述全部事实的一本书
