Origin and history of Portland

Middle English lond, from Old English lond, land, "ground, soil, solid substance of the earth's surface," also "definite portion of the earth's surface, home region of a person or a people, territory marked by political boundaries," from Proto-Germanic *landja- (source also of Old Norse, Old Frisian Dutch, Gothic land, German Land).

Boutkan finds no IE etymology and suspects a substratum word in Germanic. Watkins suggested a reconstructed PIE root *lendh- (2), source also of Old Irish land, Middle Welsh llan "an open space," Welsh llan "enclosure, church," Breton lann "heath," source of French lande (a word sometimes used in English in reference to terrain in southwest France); Old Church Slavonic ledina "waste land, heath," Czech lada "fallow land."

Etymological evidence and Gothic use indicates the original Germanic sense was "a definite portion of the earth's surface owned by an individual or home of a nation." The meaning was early extended to "solid surface of the earth," a sense which once had belonged to the ancestor of Modern English earth (n.). Original senses of land in English now tend to go with country.

Also "ground considered as a subject of use or possession," especially, in law, "ground that can be held as individual property" (1620s).

Land, ho! as a nautical cry upon first sighting of land after a crossing is by 1836 in the American English (see ho (interj.)), an earlier exclamation is said to have been land to (17c.). In the U.S. exclamation land's sakes (by 1834 in representation oof New England dialect), etc., land is a euphemism for Lord.

The Land of the _____ (living, lost, leal, midnight sun, etc.) construction was in Old English. Land bridge "hypothetical former connection between two masses of land that have been long separated" is attested by 1886, using geology to explain biology.

 The land office (1726) in American colonies and later the U.S. transacted business involving the location and settlement of public lands; to do land-office business (1838) was to be busily successful, a colloquial expression from the land-rush era.

LAND OFFICE BUSINESS.—During the year ending the 31st of Dec last, sales were made at the Kalamazoo (Michigan) Land Office, to the amount of $2,043,866.87. The number of acres sold was 1,634,511.082. All the above sales were made in one hundred and sixty-nine days—the various interruptions to the course of business, allowing but that number of days. [item widely reprinted in U.S. newspapers Feb.-March 1837]

Land Rover is by 1948 as the trade name of a sturdy 4-wheel-drive vehicle for offroad driving or work in rough country.

"a bay, cove, inlet, or recess of a large body of water where vessels can load and unload and find shelter from storms; a harbor, whether natural or artificial," Old English port "a port, harbor, a place where there is a constant resort of vessels for the purpose of loading and unloading;" also "a town, market town, city," reinforced by Old French port "harbor, port; mountain pass." The Old English and Old French words both are from Latin portus "a port, harbor," figuratively "haven, place of refuge, asylum" (in Old Latin also "a house;" in Late Latin also "a warehouse"), originally "an entrance, a passage," akin to porta "a city gate, a gate, a door" (from PIE *prtu- "a going, a passage," suffixed form of root *per- (2) "to lead, pass over").

[I]in law, a place where persons and merchandise are allowed to pass into and out of the realm and at which customs officers are stationed for the purpose of inspecting or appraising imported goods. In this sense a port may exist on the frontier, where the foreign communication is by land. [Century Dictionary]

The figurative sense "place, position, or condition of refuge" is attested in English from early 15c.; phrase any port in a storm, indicating "any refuge is welcomed in adversity," is by 1749. A port of call (1810) is one paid a scheduled visit by a vessel in the course of its voyage. The verb meaning "to carry or bring into a port" is by 1610s.