Dictionary

portmanteau en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• pôrt-mănʹtō (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• (Australia) audio
• pôrt-mănʹtō (General-American)
• /pɔːtˈmæn.təʊ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /pɔɹtˈmæn.toʊ/ (General-American)
• /ˌpɔɹt.mænˈtoʊ/ (General-American)
• (US) audio
• pôrt'măn-tōʹ (General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *-téh₂ Proto-Indo-European *pr̥téh₂ Proto-Italic *portā Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Proto-Italic *portāō Latin portāre Old French porter Middle French porte Latin mantellum Middle French manteau Middle French portemanteaubor. English portmanteau From Middle French portemanteau (“coat stand”), from porte (“he carries”, third-person singular present indicative of porter (“to carry”)) + manteau (“coat”), literally “[that which] carries coat”. The lexical sense (sense 2) was first used figuratively by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass (1871) to describe the words he coined in the poem “Jabberwocky”, based on the concept of two words packed together, similar to a portmanteau (etymology). Sense 3 (“portmanteau film”) is derived from this.

Meanings

1. (attributive, not-comparable) Made by combining two (or more) words, stories, etc., in the manner of a linguistic portmanteau.
   • The overall narrator of this portmanteau story - for Dickens co-wrote it with five collaborators on his weekly periodical, All the Year Round - expresses deep, rational scepticism about the whole business of haunting. 2002 December 14, Nicholas Lezard, “Spooky tales by the master and friends”, in The Guardian (London), page 30:

Synonyms

blend

wikipedia: Through the Looking-Glass · wikipedia: Lewis Carroll · wikipedia: Jabberwocky

portmanteau en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• pôrt-mănʹtō (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• (Australia) audio
• pôrt-mănʹtō (General-American)
• /pɔːtˈmæn.təʊ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /pɔɹtˈmæn.toʊ/ (General-American)
• /ˌpɔɹt.mænˈtoʊ/ (General-American)
• (US) audio
• pôrt'măn-tōʹ (General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *-téh₂ Proto-Indo-European *pr̥téh₂ Proto-Italic *portā Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Proto-Italic *portāō Latin portāre Old French porter Middle French porte Latin mantellum Middle French manteau Middle French portemanteaubor. English portmanteau From Middle French portemanteau (“coat stand”), from porte (“he carries”, third-person singular present indicative of porter (“to carry”)) + manteau (“coat”), literally “[that which] carries coat”. The lexical sense (sense 2) was first used figuratively by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass (1871) to describe the words he coined in the poem “Jabberwocky”, based on the concept of two words packed together, similar to a portmanteau (etymology). Sense 3 (“portmanteau film”) is derived from this.

Meanings

1. A large travelling case usually made of leather, and opening into two equal sections.
   • A Rover tooke him unprepared, / Search't his Port-mantua, bound him faſter, / And ſent him naked to his Maſter: […] 1638, Corymbœus [pseudonym; Richard Brathwait], “His Northerne Journey: Third Part”, in Barnabees Journall; […], [London]: […] [John Haviland], →OCLC, signature P2, recto:
   • Rodolphus therefore finding such an earnest Invitation, embrac'd it with thanks, and with his Servant and Portmanteau, went to Don Juan's; where they first found good Stabling for their Horses, and afterwards as good Provision for themselves. 1667, Charles Croke, Fortune's Uncertainty:
   • I believe that people are like portmanteaux—packed with certain things, started going, thrown about, tossed away, dumped down, lost and found, half emptied suddenly, or squeezed fatter than ever, until finally the Ultimate Porter swings them on to the Ultimate Train and away they rattle. . . . 1918 February (date written), Katherine Mansfield [pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “Je ne parle pas français”, in Bliss and Other Stories, London: Constable & Company, published 1920, →OCLC, page 71:
   • He brought down with him to our haunted house a little cask of salt beef; for, he is always convinced that all salt beef not of his own pickling, is mere carrion, and invariably, when he goes to London, packs a piece in his portmanteau. 1859 December 13, Charles Dickens, “The Mortals in the House”, in Charles Dickens, editor, The Haunted House. The Extra Christmas Number of All the Year Round […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Whiting, […], →OCLC, page 7, column 2:
2. A word formed by putting two words together and thereby their meaning.
   • Well then, ‘mimsy’ is ‘flimsy and miserable’ (there’s another portmanteau for you). 1871 December 27 (indicated as 1872), Lewis Carroll [pseudonym; Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], “Humpty Dumpty”, in Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, pages 128–129:
   • 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. [1871 December 27 (indicated as 1872), Lewis Carroll [pseudonym; Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], “Humpty Dumpty”, in Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, pages 126–127:
   • It also reflects the way portmanteau coinages incorporating “bro-” and “man-” — “portmanbros,” if you will — have increasingly taken on a critical edge, in keeping with shifts in conversations around gender. 2017 December 14, Jennifer Schuessler, “‘Youthquake’ Is Oxford’s Word of the Year. Sorry, Broflake.”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 21 Nov 2019:
3. A portmanteau film.
   • We're so bombarded with images, it's a struggle to preserve our imaginations.' In response, he's turned to cinema, commissioning 11 film-makers to contribute to a portmanteau film, entitled '11'09"01' and composed of short films each running 11 minutes, nine seconds and one frame. 2002 December 11, Nick Bradshaw, “One day in September”, in Time Out, page 71:
   • His long-awaited portmanteau, which premiered in Cannes on Monday, is the most Anderson of all Anderson films. It's Anderson distilled, Anderson squared, Anderson to the nth degree. 2021 July 12, Nicholas Barber, “The French Dispatch: Four stars for Wes Anderson's latest”, in BBC:
4. (Australia, dated) A schoolbag.
5. (archaic) A hook on which to hang clothing.
   • But before I started that long and rather far-fetched and not frightfully original digression, what I meant to say quite simply was that there are no portmanteaux to be examined here because the clientele of this café, ladies and gentlemen, does not sit down. 1918 February (date written), Katherine Mansfield [pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “Je ne parle pas français”, in Bliss and Other Stories, London: Constable & Company, published 1920, →OCLC, page 72:

Forms

Deriveds

portmanteau word · portmanbro · portmanteau film · portmanteau agreement

Relateds

portmantua · portemanteau

Synonyms

portmantologism · lexical blend · portmanteau word · blend word · blend · telescope word · port · amalgamation · school port · frankenword · brunch word

Translations (37)

ar حَقِيبَة سَفَر (luggage case) · tr bavul (luggage case) · fr portemanteau (luggage case) · vi va li (luggage case) · es valija (luggage case) · nl koffer (luggage case) · nl valies (luggage case) · la averta (luggage case) · et laadik (luggage case) · ro valiză (luggage case) · ru чемода́н (luggage case) · ia valise (luggage case) · lt lagaminas (luggage case) · et reisikott (luggage case) · et kohver (luggage case) · ota خرج (luggage case) · bg голям кожен куфар (luggage case) · yo pọtimáńtò (luggage case) · nn koffert (luggage case) · fr malle (luggage case) · cs kontaminace (luggage case) · fa چمدان (luggage case) · sv kappsäck (luggage case) · pl waliza (luggage case) · br malizenn (luggage case) · pt maleta (luggage case) · es maleta (luggage case) · fr valise (luggage case) · de Koffer (luggage case) · br mal (luggage case) · sh кожни кофер (luggage case) · ru дорожная су́мка (luggage case) · ru бау́л (luggage case) · pt valise (luggage case) · nb koffert (luggage case) · sq baule (luggage case) · fi matkalaukku (luggage case)

wikipedia: Through the Looking-Glass · wikipedia: Lewis Carroll · wikipedia: Jabberwocky

portmanteau en · VERB

Pronunciation

• pôrt-mănʹtō (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• (Australia) audio
• pôrt-mănʹtō (General-American)
• /pɔːtˈmæn.təʊ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /pɔɹtˈmæn.toʊ/ (General-American)
• /ˌpɔɹt.mænˈtoʊ/ (General-American)
• (US) audio
• pôrt'măn-tōʹ (General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *-téh₂ Proto-Indo-European *pr̥téh₂ Proto-Italic *portā Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Proto-Italic *portāō Latin portāre Old French porter Middle French porte Latin mantellum Middle French manteau Middle French portemanteaubor. English portmanteau From Middle French portemanteau (“coat stand”), from porte (“he carries”, third-person singular present indicative of porter (“to carry”)) + manteau (“coat”), literally “[that which] carries coat”. The lexical sense (sense 2) was first used figuratively by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass (1871) to describe the words he coined in the poem “Jabberwocky”, based on the concept of two words packed together, similar to a portmanteau (etymology). Sense 3 (“portmanteau film”) is derived from this.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To create a portmanteau word.

Forms

Synonyms

blend

wikipedia: Through the Looking-Glass · wikipedia: Lewis Carroll · wikipedia: Jabberwocky