Literature Glossary
Don’t be an oxymoron. Know your literary terms.
Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.
Portmanteau
Definition:
If you read US Weekly or TMZ, you know all about portmanteaus. Brangelina. Kimye. Timberbiel.
Okay, okay. We made that last one up. But those are all examples of a portmanteau, which is when you blend two words together to make one new word with a singular meaning.
Prefer your portmanteau examples to not come from pop culture? Try these on for size: The word sitcom is a portmanteau of situation comedy. That thing you eat your chalupa with, the spork, is a portmanteau of spoon and fork. Add jazz to exercise and you get jazzercise.
Ask your parents about that last one.