Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - portage

 geographical name  1. city NW Indiana E of Gary population 33,496  2. city SW Michigan S of Kalamazoo population 44,897 PORTAGE  I. noun  Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from porter to carry  Date: 15th century  1. the labor of carrying or transporting  2. archaic the cost of carrying ; porterage  3.  a. the carrying of boats or goods overland from one body of water to another or around an obstacle (as a rapids)  b. the route followed in making such a transfer  II. verb  (~d; portaging)  Date: 1836  transitive verb to carry over a ~  intransitive verb to move gear over a ~