Portato (Italian, past participle of portare, "to carry") in music denotes slurred staccato and is notated by adding a slur to staccato notes.
Portato is actually articulated legato, where the notes are played almost legato. Each portato note is 'carried' to the next note.
Portato sometimes is confused with portamento, but it is a completely different entity. By playing portato the music gets 'dignity', 'importance' or a clear pace. Portato was a common way of playing accompanying lines in baroque music, although it was not written in the score. In Classical and Romantic music the portato notation with slurs and dots is more common.
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