Sunday 26 April 2009

Portmanteau Words & Googlemark

A portmanteau word - in the general sense means the blend of 2 or more words. The word 'portmanteau' is itself a 'portmanteau word' as it is derived from the French compound "porte-manteau" consisting of porter (to hang) and manteau (coat) - giving coat hanger.

Examples include:
  • Blaxploitation - Black & Exploitation
  • Blog - Web & Log
  • Gerrymander - Elbridge Gerry & Salamander
  • Smog - Smoke & Fog
  • Spork - Spoon & Fork.
  • Wikipedia - Wiki & Encyclopedia
Googlemark is a site where you can register the first use of a word or phrase in a web page title. New portmanteau words are particularly likely to secure a Googlemark registration.

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