WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005)
portmanteau n 1: a new word formed by joining two others and combining their meanings; "`smog' is a blend of `smoke' and `fog'"; "`motel' is a portmanteau word made by combining `motor' and `hotel'"; "`brunch' is a well-known portmanteau" [syn: blend, portmanteau word, portmanteau] 2: a large travelling bag made of stiff leather [syn: portmanteau, Gladstone, Gladstone bag]
English Etymology Dictionary
portmanteau 1584, from M.Fr. portemanteau "traveling bag," originally "court official who carried a prince's mantle," from porte, imperative of porter "to carry" + manteau "cloak." Portmanteau word "word blending the sound of two different words," is 1882, coined by Lewis Carroll for the sort of words he invented for "Jabberwocky."
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