“Intent” and “purport”

Question

I was unable to understand the similarities and differences between intent and purport. A description will be good to understand.

Answer 1

"Purport" usually has a negative connotation of falsely conveying a certain meaning while "Intent" is more neutral.

For example,

The purport of this book is to present an objective take on abortion, although in actual fact, it leans heavily on anti-abortion viewpoints.

The intent of this book is to present an objective take on abortion.

Answer 2

As reported from the NOAD, the meaning of the words, when used as nouns, is the following:

• intent: intention or purpose
• purport: the meaning or substance of something, typically a document or speech

With alarm she realized his intent.
A real intent to cut back on social programs.

I do not understand the purport of your remarks.

The meaning of purport as verb is "appear or claim to be or do something, especially falsely", "profess".

She is not the person she purports to be.