A portmanteau is a word formed by blending two or more words, or a case opening in two parts for traveling with clothes.
Un portmanteau es una palabra creada al fusionar dos o más palabras, o un estuche divisible para viajar.
| Front | portmanteau \port-MAN-to, -TOH, PORT-\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun 1. A word coined by blending two or more words. 2. A case opening in two parts, used for carrying clothes while traveling. [From French portemanteau, from porter (to carry) + manteau (coat, mantle). Originally a portmanteau was a court official who carried the robes of a king. Since a portmanteau had two hinged compartments, Lewis Carroll used the word to describe a blended word in his book "Through the Looking-Glass" (1871). While explaining the poem Jabberwocky, Humpty Dumpty tells Alice: "Well, 'slithy' means 'lithe and slimy'. 'Lithe' is the same as 'active'. You see it's like a portmanteau -- there are two meanings packed up into one word." Some everyday portmanteaux are brunch (breakfast + lunch), smog (smoke + fog), and motel (motor + hotel). Some more examples are adultescent, bumbershoot, mingy.] "Montreal's annual Fantasia Film Festival has come a long way since its beginnings in 1996. A portmanteau of 'fantasy' and 'Asia', the festival's name once reflected the programmers' focus." - "Montreal's annual Fantasia Film Festival has come a long way since its beginnings in 1996. A portmanteau of 'fantasy' and 'Asia', the festival's name once reflected the programmers' focus." Al Kratina; Fantasia's Past is Present on DVD; Montreal Gazette (Canada); Jul 4, 2008. |
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