portmanteau
UK[pɔːtˈmæntəʊ]US[pɔːrtˈmæntoʊ]
n
A word blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two others, for example *motel* (from *motor* and *hotel*) or *brunch* (from *breakfast* and *lunch*).
n
A large travelling bag, typically made of stiff leather and opening into two equal parts.
Morpheme Breakdown
port
manteau
port
carry
manteau
cloak
Etymology
The word 'portmanteau' entered English in the 16th century from Middle French portemanteau, literally meaning "cloak-carrier" or "coat carrier" (porter "to carry" + manteau "cloak"). It originally referred to a court official who carried a prince's mantle, and later to a travelling bag that "carried" one's clothes. Its linguistic meaning was coined by Lewis Carroll in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass, where Humpty Dumpty explains that words like "slithy" (from "lithe" and "slimy") are like a portmanteau bag because they hold two meanings packed into one. This clever analogy permanently extended the word's definition to describe a lexical blend.
Analysis
Structure: port (carry) + manteau (cloak)
- port: From Old French porter (to carry), from Latin portare (to carry). In this compound, it functions as a verb root meaning "to carry".
- manteau: From Old French manteau (cloak, mantle), from Latin mantellum (cloak). In this compound, it functions as a noun object meaning "cloak".
Examples
The word "smog" is a portmanteau of "smoke" and "fog".
"Spork" is a common portmanteau for an eating utensil that is a combination of a spoon and a fork.
Modern technology has given us portmanteaus like "blog," from "web" and "log".