Portmanteau
A portmanteau is a word formed by blending the sounds and meanings of two other words, such as brunch from breakfast and lunch.
Breakfast plus lunch gives brunch. Smoke plus fog gives smog. Each new word keeps a piece of both parents and means a bit of each.
Carroll and the suitcase
Lewis Carroll named the idea. In Through the Looking-Glass, Humpty Dumpty explains the word "slithy" in the poem "Jabberwocky": "Well, 'slithy' means 'lithe and slimy'. You see it's like a portmanteau, there are two meanings packed up into one word." A portmanteau was a suitcase with two compartments.
Everyday examples
- motel: motor and hotel
- spork: spoon and fork
- brunch: breakfast and lunch
- chortle: chuckle and snort, another Carroll coinage
- podcast: iPod and broadcast
- hangry: hungry and angry
Brand names and celebrity couple names use the same trick, which is why the form never stops producing new words.
What makes one work
A good blend sounds natural, has an overlap of sound where the two halves meet and is clear to a reader who has never seen it. "Brunch" works because the join is smooth and the meaning is obvious. A forced blend is just a clumsy label.
Why it matters to a writer or editor
Portmanteaus are one of the main routes by which new words enter a language. They are essential to speculative fiction, where invented words need to be understandable at first sight. An editor's test is whether a reader can decode the word with no explanation. If not, give a clue in context or choose a plainer word. Related ideas are the neologism, the pun and the contronym.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the word portmanteau come from?
It is French for a suitcase that opens into two halves. Lewis Carroll used it in Through the Looking-Glass, where Humpty Dumpty says that 'slithy' packs two meanings into one word.
What are some common portmanteaus?
Brunch (breakfast and lunch), smog (smoke and fog), motel (motor and hotel), spork (spoon and fork) and podcast (iPod and broadcast).
How is a portmanteau different from a compound word?
A compound joins two whole words, as in toothbrush. A portmanteau clips and fuses them, so parts of each are lost.