Portmanteau etymology

Why is it called a portmanteau? The French word portmanteau describes a two-part suitcase. It combines the words porte, which means “to carry,” and manteau, meaning “cloak.” Like the suitcase, a portmanteau word holds or carries the meaning of two or more words.

1. Where did the word portmanteau originate from?
2. Is portmanteau a portmanteau?
3. Who invented the term portmanteau words?
4. What is portmanteau in Old English?
5. Is Netflix a portmanteau?
6. Is twerk a portmanteau?
7. Is spork portmanteau word?
8. Is Goodbye a portmanteau?
9. Is Microsoft a portmanteau?
10. Is Hangry a portmanteau?
11. What is a neologism vs portmanteau?
12. Is WIFI a portmanteau?
13. Did Lewis Carroll invent portmanteau?
14. What does portmanteau mean?
15. Where does the word two originate from?
16. Why did Lewis Carroll use portmanteau?
17. What is a neologism vs portmanteau?
18. Is Jabberwocky a portmanteau?
19. What does Mimsy mean?

Where did the word portmanteau originate from?

A portmanteau is a large suitcase. The word comes from French porter "carry" and manteau "mantle, or cloak" — so it's what you carry your clothes in. Or, a portmanteau is a word made by combining two other words.

Is portmanteau a portmanteau?

Portmanteau is an archaic word for suitcase, made from the French words for carry (porter) and cloak (manteau). As such, the word portmanteau is a portmanteau itself.

Who invented the term portmanteau words?

A blend is also known as a portmanteau word, a term devised by Lewis Carroll. In Through a Looking-Glass (1871) he wrote: 'You see, it's like a portmanteau … there are two meanings packed up in the one word'.

What is portmanteau in Old English?

portmanteau (n.) 1580s, "flexible 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.)).

Is Netflix a portmanteau?

Microsoft, Intel, Netflix, Accenture and Groupon are all examples of companies that have opted for portmanteaux in their brand names in order to be easily recognized for what they do and to effectively convey their brand message.

Is twerk a portmanteau?

Miley Cyrus certainly didn't invent twerking or the word 'twerk' – a portmanteau of 'twist' and 'jerk' – but her appropriation of the provocative dance move helped the word into the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013.

Is spork portmanteau word?

The word spork is a portmanteau of spoon and fork. It appeared in the 1909 supplement to the Century Dictionary, where it was described as a trade name and "a 'portmanteau-word' applied to a long, slender spoon having, at the end of the bowl, projections resembling the tines of a fork".

Is Goodbye a portmanteau?

Goodbye is an old portmanteau word that blends God and be and ye, and means "God be with ye." English has hundreds of portmanteau words many of which we recognize as blends. "Guesstimate" is well recognized as a blend of guess and estimate, for example.

Is Microsoft a portmanteau?

Many company or brand names are portmanteaus, including Microsoft, a portmanteau of microcomputer and software; the cheese Cambozola combines a similar rind to Camembert with the same mould used to make Gorgonzola; passenger rail company Amtrak, a portmanteau of America and track; Velcro, a portmanteau of the French ...

Is Hangry a portmanteau?

Hangry is a portmanteau of "hungry" and "angry".

What is a neologism vs portmanteau?

Neologisms are coined in several ways. One method of coining a neologism is to take existing word fragments and blend them in new ways. A portmanteau is an example of this method. A portmanteau a word that is composed by blending the sounds and the meanings of two different words.

Is WIFI a portmanteau?

Wifi = wireless + fidelity. mobisode = mobile + episode. webinar = web + seminar. netiquette = Internet + etiquette.

Did Lewis Carroll invent portmanteau?

While the word portmanteau already existed, a portmanteau word was first coined by Carroll.

What does portmanteau mean?

: a word or morpheme whose form and meaning are derived from a blending of two or more distinct forms (such as smog from smoke and fog) portmanteau.

Where does the word two originate from?

The word two is derived from the Old English words twā (feminine), tū (neuter), and twēġen (masculine, which survives today in the form twain).

Why did Lewis Carroll use portmanteau?

He called them portmanteau words because in them "two meanings are packed up into one word"—into one bag, so to speak. Clearly, Carroll is writing for children, who are usually entranced by his stories; yet he is also writing for adults, a fact which is sometimes overlooked.

What is a neologism vs portmanteau?

Neologisms are coined in several ways. One method of coining a neologism is to take existing word fragments and blend them in new ways. A portmanteau is an example of this method. A portmanteau a word that is composed by blending the sounds and the meanings of two different words.

Is Jabberwocky a portmanteau?

"Portmanteau words" is now a standard name for such word blends. Among the portmanteaus Carroll invented for Jabberwocky were "galumphing" and "chortled": the former from "gallop" and "triumphant," the latter from "chuckle" and "snort." Both have entered the English language.

What does Mimsy mean?

/ (ˈmɪmzɪ) / adjective -sier or -siest. prim, underwhelming, and ineffectual.