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portmanteau

[ pawrt-man-toh, pohrt-; pawrt-man-toh, pohrt- ]
/ pɔrtˈmæn toʊ, poʊrt-; ˌpɔrt mænˈtoʊ, ˌpoʊrt- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR portmanteau ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural port·man·teaus, port·man·teaux [pawrt-man-tohz, -toh, pohrt-; pawrt-man-tohz, -toh, pohrt-]. /pɔrtˈmæn toʊz, -toʊ, poʊrt-; ˌpɔrt mænˈtoʊz, -ˈtoʊ, ˌpoʊrt-/.

Chiefly British. a case or bag to carry clothing in while traveling, especially a leather trunk or suitcase that opens into two halves.
Linguistics.
  1. Also called portmanteau word . a word that combines the form and meaning of two or more other words; a blend.
  2. Also called portmanteau morph . a phonological unit of more than one morpheme, as French au (to the) from à to + le masculine article, which realizes a preposition and the definite article; a single morph that is analyzed as representing two underlying morphemes.
something that combines or blends several items, features, or qualities: I've gathered a portmanteau of ideas from my colleagues.

adjective

combining or blending several items, features, or qualities: a portmanteau film with two good stories.

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Origin of portmanteau

From French portemanteau literally, “(it) carries (the) cloak”; see port5, mantle;def. 1 was first recorded in 1575–85, and def. 2a in 1871 in Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.

Words nearby portmanteau

Portlaoise, Port Lavaca, Port Louis, portly, Port Lyautey, portmanteau, portmanteau word, Port Moody, Port Moresby, Port Neches, Portnet
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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Words related to portmanteau

bag, valise, luggage, gladstone

Example sentences from the Web for portmanteau

British Dictionary definitions for portmanteau

portmanteau
/ (pɔːtˈmæntəʊ) /

noun plural -teaus or -teaux (-təʊz)

(formerly) a large travelling case made of stiff leather, esp one hinged at the back so as to open out into two compartments
(modifier) embodying several uses or qualitiesthe heroine is a portmanteau figure of all the virtues

Word Origin for portmanteau

C16: from French: cloak carrier, from porter to carry + manteau cloak, mantle
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012