port·man·teau
pȯrt-ˈman-(ˌ)tō
plural portmanteaus or portmanteaux
pȯrt-ˈman-(ˌ)tōz
1
or portmanteau word plural portmanteau words
: a word or part of a word made by combining the spellings and meanings of two or more other words or word parts (such as smog from smoke and fog)
A portmanteau of "costume" and "play," cosplay by definition is the act of dressing up as a fictional character, with many of the costumes you find inspired by video games, film, or TV.—Stephanie LaCava
2
: a large suitcase
When the steamboat bumped against the … pilings, the crowd eased back to allow the hands to erect the gangplank and bear trunks and portmanteaux to the dock for passengers to claim.—Loren D. Estleman
He bent down and pulled out the heavy portmanteau from under the bed. He opened it and took out a medium-size red bag …—Helon Habila
: combining more than one element, use, or quality
As a book, it is essentially a portmanteau collection of aspects of martial life that caught Holmes's eye during his career.—James Owen
The building of the embankment was a portmanteau scheme, defending valuable building land against high tides, providing space for sewers below, and for carriages and pedestrians above.—Hermione Hobhouse
… the portmanteau character "Corporal Jones", an unlikely composite …—Dale Clarke
The new work from Wes Anderson, "The French Dispatch," is a portmanteau film. That is to say, it contains a number of narratives—in this instance, four—that are neatly packed together, as if inside a suitcase.—Anthony Lane
see also portmanteau word sense 1
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share