A large leather suitcase that opens into two hinged compartments.
[French portemanteau : porte-, from porter, to carry (from Old French; see port5) + manteau, cloak (from Old French mantel , from Latin mantellum).]
Dictionary:
port·man·teau (pôrt-măn'tō, pōrt-, pôrt'măn-tō', pōrt'-) ![]() |
[French portemanteau : porte-, from porter, to carry (from Old French; see port5) + manteau, cloak (from Old French mantel , from Latin mantellum).]
| Wordsmith Words: portmanteau |
(port-MAN-to, -TOH, PORT-) 
noun, plural portmanteaus, portmanteaux
1. A word coined by blending two or more words.
2. A case opening in two parts, used for carrying clothes while traveling.
Etymology
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 adultescent. bumbershoot bumbershoot. mingy mingy.
Alice and Humpty Dumpty:
[Artist: John Tenniel]
| Obscure Words: portmanteau |
| Wikipedia: Portmanteau (disambiguation) |
| Look up portmanteau in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Portmanteau may refer to:
| This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Translations: Portmanteau |
Dansk (Danish)
n. - kuffert, vadsæk
Nederlands (Dutch)
kapstok, (dubbele) reistas voor kleren
Deutsch (German)
n. - Reisekoffer
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ταξιδιωτικό όρθιο μπαούλο
Português (Portuguese)
n. - maleta (f)
Русский (Russian)
саквояж, слово-гибрид
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - stor kappsäck
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
旅行皮箱, 混成词
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 旅行皮箱, 混成詞
한국어 (Korean)
n. - (양쪽으로 열리게 된) 대형여행용 가방
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) العيبه : حقيبه السفر
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - מזוודה, תיק לבגדים
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
To select your translation preferences click here.
| portmantle | |
| portmanteau word | |
| Brangelina (Pitt and Jolie) |
Copyrights:
![]() | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Wordsmith Words. © 2009 Wordsmith.org. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Obscure Words. © 2008 by Michael A. Fischer http://home.comcast.net/~wwftd. Read more | |
![]() | Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Portmanteau (disambiguation)". Read more | |
![]() | Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
Mentioned in