Waiting

 “Textpectation [is] the anticipation felt when waiting for a response to a text.” (Verbalists Education)

A portmanteau is a large suitcase. The word comes from French word for porter meaning "carry" and manteau meaning "mantle, or cloak" It' opens in halves, and is what you carry clothes in. A portmanteau word is one that results from blending two or more words (or parts of words) so that the new word expresses some combination of the meaning of its parts. 

It’s tempting to say that portmanteau words are just like compound words, but they’re not. Compound words like “firefighter” and “ladybug” also use two words to make a new word. In a portmanteau word, one or both of the words is shortened in a clever way.

You might remember portmanteau words from Lewis Carroll's novel, Through the Looking-Glass (in 1871), where Humpty Dumpty explains to Alice the portmanteau word, in which "two meanings are packed up into one word." So, according to Humpty Dumpty, slithy means "lithe and slimy," and mimsy is "flimsy and miserable."  Below are 100 portmanteau examples with their definitions. (Do you recognize some of these familiar portmanteaus?)

Adware (advertising + software) - online advertisements that generate revenue

Affluenza (affluent + influenza) - belief that a person’s wealthy status causes lack of motivation and empathy

Ampersand (and + per se + and) - & symbol that means “and”

Animatronics (animation + electronics) - mechanical puppets

Athleisure (athletic + leisure) - comfortable sports attire meant for leisure

Aussiedoodle - offspring of an Australian Shepherd and a Poodle

Bionic (biology + electronic) - mechanical body parts

Biopic (biography + picture) - biographical movie about a real person’s life

Bit (binary + digit) - basic unit of digital information

Blog (web + log) - online journal or diary (vlog is the term for “video log”)

Bollywood (Bombay + Hollywood) - the Indian film industry

Botox (botulism + toxin) - dermatological procedure that injects a strain of botulism into the skin to prevent and treat wrinkles

Brainiac (brain + maniac) - a very smart person

Breathalyzer (breath + analyzer) - tool for analyzing someone’s alcohol consumption by scanning their breath

Brexit (Britain + exit) - the 2016 referendum for Britain to leave the European Union

Bromance (brother + romance) - close friendship between two males

Brony (brother + My Little Pony) - male fandom of the My Little Pony series

Cama - offspring of a camel and a llama

Chillax (chill + relax) - admonition to tell someone to calm down

Chug - offspring of a Chihuahua and a Pug

Cockapoo - offspring of a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle

Cosplay (costume + roleplay) - hobby in which people (roleplayers) dress up and act as fictional characters offstage

Coywolf - offspring of a coyote and a wolf

Cronut (croissant + doughnut) - flaky iced pastry

Cyborg (cybernetic + organism) - robotic human or animal

Dramedy (drama + comedy) - a story that has both dramatic and comedic elements

Dumbfounded (dumb + confounded) - surprised into silence

Ebonics (ebony + phonics) - term to describe a common dialect in the American black community

Edutainment (education + entertainment) - entertainment meant to inform its viewers

Eefalo - offspring of a buffalo and a cow, also known as Cattalo

Electrocute (electricity + execute) - to kill with electricity

Email (electronic + mail) - electronic method of communication

Emoticon (emotion + icon) - typed symbols that appear to show faces (e.g., :) before the introduction of emoji

Fauxhawk (faux and Mohawk) - hairstyle that is styled to look like a Mohawk

Flare (flair + glare) - a burst of light

Fortnight (fourteen + night) - period of fourteen nights, or two week

Frappuccino (frappé + cappuccino) - iced coffee drink

Frenemy (friend + enemy) - friends who don’t always get along, or enemies who don’t always fight with each other

Froyo (frozen + yogurt) - frozen treat made of yogurt

Gastropub (gastronomy + pub/public house) - pub or bar that serves food

Geep - offspring of a goat and a sheep

Gerrymander (Elbridge Gerry + salamander) - redistricting an area to include favorable voters for a politician or party (named for Governor Elbridge Gerry who started the practice in 1812, and the salamander-shaped district he created in Massachusetts)

Ginormous (gigantic/giant + enormous) - very large

Glamping (glamorous + camping) - camping with luxurious settings and supplies

Grapple (grape + apple) - hybrid of a grape and an apple

Grolar Bear - offspring of a grizzly bear and a polar bear

Guesstimate (guess + estimate) - an estimate made without enough information or data

Hangry (hungry + angry) - the feeling you get when your hunger affects your emotions

Horgi - offspring of a Husky and a Corgi

Imagineer (imagine + engineer) - an engineer who works on creative projects

Infomercial (information + commercial) - advertisement that relays information

Intercom (internal + communication) - loudspeaker system that sends audio messages to selected people

Jeggings (jeans + leggings) - leggings that look like denim jeans

Juneteenth (June + nineteenth) - Freedom Day in the black community that commemorates the emancipation of the last American slaves and the official end of slavery

Labradoodle - offspring of a Labrador and a Poodle

Liger - offspring of a lion and a tiger, also known as a Tigion

Listicle (list + article) - article that features a list of items

Maltipoo - offspring of a Maltese and a Poodle

Malware (malicious + software) - software designed to cause damage to a computer or network

Mansplain (man + explain) - term for when a man oversimplifies an obvious fact usually to a woman

Medicare (medical + care) - a government-funded healthcare plan for specific citizens

Mocktail (mock + cocktail) - cocktail without alcohol

Mockumentary (mock + documentary) - a fictional story in the style of a documentary movie

Modem (modulator + demodulator) - device that transmits data from one computer to another

Motel (motor + hotel) - lodging designed for motorists

Netiquette (network + etiquette) - proper online behavior and manners

Newscast (news + broadcast) - television or radio show about current events

Obamacare (Barack Obama + healthcare) - popular term for the Affordable Healthcare Act passed during the Obama presidency)

Pitsky - offspring of a Pit Bull and a Husky

Pixel (picture + element) - an individual photographic element of a televised or computerized image

Pluot (plum + apricot) - hybrid stone fruit also known as plumcot or aprium

Podcast (iPod + broadcast) - an audio talk show that was first available on iPods

Pokémon (pocket + monsters) - popular Japanese animation about fictional creatures that battle each other

Popsicle (pop + icicle) - frozen treat made of juice

Prequel (previous + sequel) - sequel to a film or book that occurs earlier in the fictional timeline than its predecessor

Puggle - offspring off a Pug and a Beagle

Reaganomics (Ronald Reagan + economics) - “trickle-down” economic policy in the Reagan presidency)

Romcom (romance + comedy) - a comedy story that has elements of a romance

Sheeple (sheep + people) - derogatory term for those who are perceived to follow orders and avoid critical thinking

Shepherd (sheep + herder) - person who minds a flock of sheep

Silk (soy + milk) - line of soy milk products

Sitcom (situation + comedy) - narrative comedy story based on a specific situation

Smog (smoke + fog) - polluted air

Snark (snide + remark) - a sarcastic or dry comment

Spam (spiced + ham) - canned meat product

Splatter (splash + spatter) - wet messy marks

Squander (scatter + wander) - to spend one’s time or money frivolously

Stagflation (stagnation + inflation) - a continuous period of high inflation and unemployment

Stash (store + cache) - hidden collection of valuables

Staycation (stay + vacation) - a vacation in one’s own town

Taxicab (taximeter + cabriolet) - automobile that transports paying customers to their destinations

Telethon (television + marathon) - continuous televised fundraiser

Threepeat (three + repeat) - a three-time repeat of an event, usually a championship

Tofurky (tofu + turkey) - tofu food product flavored to taste like turkey

Twerk (twist + jerk) - dance move that involves jerking your bottom half at something

Velcro (velvet + crochet) - brand of fabric adhesives

Wallaroo - offspring of a wallaby and a kangaroo

Webinar (web + seminar) - meeting or lesson available on the Internet

Wholphin - offspring of a false killer whale and a dolphin

Zonkey - offspring of a zebra and a donkey

“Flawsome [is]an individual who embraces their flaws and knows their awesome regardless.” (Pinterest)[i]

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[i] Adapted from:

·"100 Portmanteau Examples of Creative Combined Words” by YourDictionary

·"Portmanteau word” by Britannica

·   "Portmanteau” by Vocabulary.com