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A portmanteau word combines the meaning of two other words. If you take “smoke” and “fog,” you can make the portmanteau “smog,” which describes fog intensified by smoke or pollution. A motel is a hotel for motorists. As you can see, portmanteau words are a handy, shortened form of the two words.
Portmanteau means “suitcase” in French. The English novelist Lewis Carroll first used the word “portmanteau” in his 1871 book Through the Looking-Glass. Humpty Dumpty says: “Well, slithy means ‘lithe and slimy’ and mimsy is ‘flimsy and miserable.’ You see it’s like a portmanteau — there are two meanings packed up into one word.” Portmanteau is itself a portmanteau word from “porter” (to carry) and the French word “manteau” (coat). Carroll often used French because he was a poet who liked to include many languages in his writing, and the French language was held in high regard by educated English people at the time.
Many portmanteau words are found in entertainment. A rom-com film is a romantic comedy. A sitcom is a situation comedy, where the same characters appear from episode to episode. A prequel combines “previous” and “sequel,” and is a film or book that happens before the first film or book. A biopic is from “biography” and “picture”: It’s a film about a real person’s life.
There are many portmanteau words in technology. Email is a portmanteau of “electronic” and “mail.” A blog is an online journal, from the words “web” and “log.” The word podcast combines “iPod” and “broadcast,” and is an audio talk show that can be downloaded. Taken from “malicious” and “software,” malware is software designed to damage your computer or network. (The Japan Times)
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This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.