English Reference
Noun

portmanteau

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈpɔɹtmɑnˌtoʊ/ UK /pˈɔːtmɑːntˌəʊ/ port·man·teau UK spelling portmanteaus Linguistics

n.a word made by combining parts of two or more words, like 'brunch' from 'breakfast' and 'lunch'.

n.a compound word formed by blending parts of two or more words, typically retaining the initial syllables of each source word.


SIMPLE

Brunch is a portmanteau of 'breakfast' and 'lunch'.

CONTEXTUAL

The company created a new product name that's a portmanteau of 'smartphone' and 'watch'.

COMPLEX

Oxford English Dictionary notes that 'portmanteau' itself is a portmanteau of French 'porte-manteau' (meaning 'clothes carrier') and 'manteau' (coat).

Usage

Typically preceded by articles ('a portmanteau') and often modified by adjectives describing the blend ('creative portmanteaus').

So even though Pocognoli’s middle name, Jean, gave him a bit of a portmanteau open goal, he didn’t ask to be called Jockognoli.

The Guardian· 17 Aug 2026

Etymology 1

From Middle French portemanteau, from porte (“carries”) + manteau (“coat”), literally “[that which] carries coat”.

Etymology 2

First used by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass to describe the coined words in Jabberwocky.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin frm portemanteau
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated