[PW] Re: Name for word made from parts of other words--Portmanteau

[Simon Cauchi]

On 17/08/2006, at 10:25 AM, Fred Acerri wrote:

>> From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> A portmanteau  is a term in linguistics that refeers to a word or 
> morpheme
> that fuses two or more grammatical functions. A folk usage of 
> portmanteau
> efers to a word that is formed by combining both sounds and meanings 
> from
> two or more words (e.g. animatronics from animation and electronics. 
> It can
> also be called a frankenword.

Yes, this is another word for a blend. It alludes to Lewis Carroll's 
explanation (in _Through the Looking Glass_) of _slithy_ as a 
combination of "lithe" and "slimy": "It's like a portmanteau -- there 
are two meanings packed up into one word."

Simon Cauchi
<simon.cauchi at xtra.co.nz>