Port étendard, Fr. the standard bearer.
Porte feu, Fr. a machine made of wood or copper, by which fire is communicated to gunpowder in a shell, fuse, or piece of ordnance. It is sometimes made of pasteboard. Where there is any ground to apprehend that a cannon will burst, the priming made of a certain composition is put into the pasteboard case, by which means the cannoneer has time to retire before any accident can happen.
Porte feu, Fr. is likewise used among artificers to signify all sorts of fusees or matches, by which fire is communicated to many quarters at once. They last according to the nature of the composition with which they are made up.
Porte feu brisé, Fr. in artificial fireworks, a species of carriage which is bent into a curve by means of a sloping piece of wood.
Porte voix, Fr. a speaking trumpet.
Porte mousqueton, Fr. a swivel.
Porte arquebuse, Fr. the king’s gunbearer.
Porte epée, Fr. a sword bearer; It likewise means a sword belt.
Porte, Fr. a gate. Portes d’une ville. The gates of a fortified town.
Porte d’ecluse, Fr. a flood gate.