portmanteau

American  

[pawrt-man-toh, pawrt-man-toh] / pɔrtˈmæn toʊ, ˌpɔrt mænˈtoʊ /

noun

plural

portmanteaus, portmanteaux

1. Chiefly British. a case or bag to carry clothing in while traveling, especially a leather trunk or suitcase that opens into two halves.

2. 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.

3. something that combines or blends several items, features, or qualities.

   I've gathered a portmanteau of ideas from my colleagues.

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adjective

1. combining or blending several items, features, or qualities.

   a portmanteau film with two good stories.

portmanteau British  

/ pɔːtˈmæntəʊ /

noun

1. (formerly) a large travelling case made of stiff leather, esp one hinged at the back so as to open out into two compartments

2. (modifier) embodying several uses or qualities

   the heroine is a portmanteau figure of all the virtues

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Etymology

Origin of portmanteau

From French portemanteau literally, “(it) carries (the) cloak”; see port ⁵, mantle; portmanteau def. 1 was first recorded in 1575–85, and portmanteau def. 2a in 1871 in Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.

Explanation

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. You might remember portmanteau from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, where Humpty Dumpty explains to Alice the portmanteau word, in which "two meanings are packed up into one word." So, according to Humpty Dumpty, slithy means "lithe and slimy," and mimsy is "flimsy and miserable." You can make your own portmanteau words, and here are some examples for inspiration: smog (smoke + fog); brunch (breakfast + lunch), sitcom (situation + comedy), and infomercial (information + commercial).

Example Sentences

Some call themselves healthmaxxers – sharing tips on what to eat and working out, while others identify as looksmaxxers, a portmanteau for 'looks maximising', where the aim is to totally "optimise" one's physical appearance.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

SaaSpocalypse is the portmanteau combining the acronym for software-as-a-service, SaaS, with apocalypse.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026

“Smog” is a turn-of-the-century portmanteau word mashing together “smoke” and “fog” to describe the sooty, sulfurous air of the London of Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

With Australian billionaire James Packer, Ratner formed RatPac Entertainment—a portmanteau nodding to the Frank Sinatra era of showbiz that Ratner venerated.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

No one answered; but a form emerged from the closet; it took the light, held it aloft, and surveyed the garments pendent from the portmanteau.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë