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

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Origin of portmanteau

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

Words nearby portmanteau

portière, portland, portland cement, portlaoise, portly, portmanteau, portmanteau morph, portmanteau word, portnet, porto, porto alegre
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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