portmanteau
pronunciation
How to pronounce portmanteau in British English:
UK [pɔ:tˈmæntəʊ]
How to pronounce portmanteau in American English:
US [pɔrtˈmæntoʊ]
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- Noun:
- a new word formed by joining two others and combining their meanings
- a large travelling bag made of stiff leather
Word Origin
- portmanteau
- portmanteau: [16] A portmanteau is etymologically something for ‘carrying one’s mantle’ in. The word was borrowed from French portemanteau, a compound formed from porter ‘carry’ and manteau ‘cloak’ (source of English mantle). This originally denoted a ‘court official whose duty was to carry the king’s cloak’, but it was also applied to the bag in which he carried it, and hence eventually to any bag for carrying clothes and other items needed on a journey.=> mantle, port
- portmanteau (n.)
- 1580s, "traveling case or bag for clothes and other necessaries," from Middle French portemanteau "traveling bag," originally "court official who carried a prince's mantle" (1540s), from porte, imperative of porter "to carry" (see porter (n.1)) + manteau "cloak" (see mantle (n.)). Portmanteau word "word blending the sound of two different words" (1882), coined by "Lewis Carroll" (Charles L. Dodgson, 1832-1898) for the sort of words he invented for "Jabberwocky," on notion of "two meanings packed up into one word." As a noun in this sense from 1872.
Example
- 1. He always carries this portmanteau with him when he goes abroad .
- 2. Stuffing shirts into his portmanteau .
- 3. Stagflation is a portmanteau word made of stagnation and inflation .
- 4. You know how they do those at-home spreads in " portmanteau " ?
- 5. There are some worthless articles of clothing in the old portmanteau .