Portmanteau

A portmanteau word is a blend of two or more words, combining their sounds and meanings to create a new word. This linguistic device is often used to express a concept that is a fusion of the original words' definitions. The resulting word is a hybrid, taking on characteristics of both source words. Portmanteaus are common in creative writing, advertising, and even everyday conversation, allowing for concise and often humorous expression. They are formed by clipping parts of existing words and merging them to produce a single, novel term, contributing to language evolution and offering imaginative wordplay.

Portmanteau meaning with examples

• The term 'brunch' is a classic example, cleverly combining 'breakfast' and 'lunch' to describe a meal eaten between those times. It encapsulates the experience of late morning eating, reflecting its hybrid nature. Brunch is a favorite among social gatherings for many and demonstrates how a portmanteau effectively captures a new concept in a compact form.
• Lewis Carroll's 'chortle,' from 'chuckle' and 'snort,' vividly depicts a laughter that involves both quiet amusement and a forceful expression, exemplifying how combining words creates a distinct sensation. It highlights the evocative power of portmanteaus to describe a blend of emotional and sensory experience.
• The marketing campaign created the word 'infomercial' to represent an advertisement that resembled a show. This combining of 'information' and 'commercial' proved how useful they can be to encapsulate a new media format in one memorable and descriptive word, quickly communicating its purpose to a broad audience.
• Modern technology has gifted us with words such as 'smog', blending 'smoke' and 'fog' to describe urban air pollution. This portmanteau instantly conveys the visibility issues that many city inhabitants may face, highlighting environmental concerns in a highly visual and memorable manner, and therefore it is a very useful term.
• The term 'motel' is a very popular word in the English language, is a combination of 'motor' and 'hotel', and became an important part of car culture. Combining both words, it describes an establishment designed to be convenient for travelers on the road, exemplifying how portmanteaus efficiently capture the essence of a functional innovation.