portmanteau

[ pawrt-man-toh, pohrt-; pawrt-man-toh, pohrt- ]

/ pɔrtˈmæn toʊ, poʊrt-; ˌpɔrt mænˈtoʊ, ˌpoʊrt- /

SEE MORE 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.

Also called portmanteau word. Linguistics. blend(def 10).

RELATED WORDS

bag, valise, luggage, gladstone

Nearby words

portière, portland, portland cement, portlaoise, portly, portmanteau, portmanteau morph, portmanteau word, portnet, porto, porto alegre

Origin of portmanteau

1575–85; < French portemanteau literally, (it) carries (the) cloak; see port⁵, mantle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for portmanteau

And yet, they got over it and would go on to earn the portmanteau "Merkozy."
Francois Hollande: France’s Anti-Sarkozy President|Tracy McNicoll|May 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Whichever way you look at it, the are-they-or-aren't-they couple earned the portmanteau Brittana and a lot of attention.
Most Memorable Kisses of the Year|Shefali Kulkarni|December 30, 2010|DAILY BEAST
A portmanteau by way of the frontier, this term was given flight by Sarah Palin.
The 2010 Political Dictionary from A to Z|Samuel P. Jacobs|December 12, 2010|DAILY BEAST
This longing for grimness actually has its own portmanteau word, ostalgie.
The Week in Polls|Adam Hanft|October 17, 2008|DAILY BEAST

Miss Falkner went straight to her room, and put up a few things in a portmanteau.
Jill's Red Bag|Amy Le Feuvre
His mind, occupied by this fear, let go the apprehension of a discovery of the mere act of handing in the portmanteau.
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland|Various
"Perhaps he is seeing to the packing of his portmanteau," said Miss Bridgeman.
Mount Royal, Volume 3 of 3|Mary Elizabeth Braddon
As I stood upon the beach the next morning, while my portmanteau was being handed into the boat, I gave the Boots five zwanzigers.
The Man who kept his Money in a Box|Anthony Trollope
James Wentworth lingered behind, and contrived to look at the portmanteau.
Henry Dunbar|M. E. Braddon

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

portmanteau

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.

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of portmanteau

Examples from the Web for portmanteau

British Dictionary definitions for portmanteau

portmanteau

noun plural -teaus or -teaux (-təʊz)

Word Origin for portmanteau