This is a partial list of portmanteaux or "blends" — words formed by combining two other words, in the English language. Most portmanteau words take the prefix of one word and use the suffix of the other forming a prefix and suffix-like wording. That kind of setup sometimes causes derivative meanings for the prefixes and suffixes. But in some cases, the prefix from both words can be used (e.g. modem).
General
- affluenza from affluence and influenza
- alphabet from alpha and beta is a code name for the setup of the letters in our language
- anacronym from anachronism and acronym
- arcology from architecture and ecology
- arfé from art and café
- backronym from back and acronym
- blaxploitation from black and exploitation
- bleen from blue and green, coined by Nelson Goodman to illustrate Goodman's paradox
- blorph from blend and morph, a visual effects technique (coined by Ken Ralston/Sony Pictures Imageworks)[citation needed]
- boxercise from boxing and exercise
- brunch from breakfast and lunch
- Californication from California and fornication
- camcorder from camera and recorder
- caplet from capsule and tablet
- carboloy from carbon and alloy[citation needed]
- chortle from chuckle and snort, coined by Lewis Carroll
- Chunnel from Channel and tunnel
- cocacolonization from Coca-Cola and colonization
- cremains from cremated and remains
- cryptex from cryptology and codex
- cyborg from cybernetic and organism
- dancercise from dance and exercise
- dramastic from dramatic and drastic
- ebonics from ebony and phonics
- ecoteur from ecological and saboteur
- electrocution from electricity and execution (originally only referred to execution in an electric chair)
- fantabulous from fantastic and fabulous
- fanzine from fan and magazine
- folksonomy from folk and taxonomy
- foon from fork and spoon (see also spork, below)
- Franglais from français (French for "French") and anglais (French for "English") (see also —lish, below)
- frankenfood from Frankenstein and food, a reference to GMOs
- frankenword from Frankenstein and word, synonym for portmanteau
- frappuccino from frappé and cappuccino
- fugly from fucking and ugly (commonly abbreviated to fug)
- gaydar from gay and radar
- ginormous from gigantic and enormous
- grue from green and blue (see bleen, above)
- guesstimate from guess and estimate
- herstory from her and history
- —lish used as a suffix to form many frankenwords meaning foreign varieties of English (see also Franglais, above):
- Chinglish (Chinese)
- Germlish or Denglish (German)
- Greeklish (Greek)
- Hebrish (Hebrew)
- Hinglish (Hindi)
- Hunglish (Hungarian)
- Japlish (Japanese). Similar are the words Janglish, which involves utilizing English words with a Japanese pronunciation (sometimes called Katakana English), and Engrish, which is simply English being inappropriately utilized in the context of Japanese culture.
- Konglish (Korean)
- Malglish (Malaysian)
- Russlish (Russian)
- Singlish (Singaporean)
- Spanglish (Spanish)
- Swedlish (Swedish)
- Taglish (Tagalog)
- Yinglish (Yiddish)
- lupper from lunch and supper
- McJob, from McDonalds and job
- McMansion, from McDonalds and mansion
- mechatronics from mechanics and electronics
- meld possibly from melt or mold and weld
- metrosexual most commonly, from metropolitan and heterosexual; some argue the etymology can be attributed to metera, from the Greek word meaning 'mother' (or effeminate), from which metropolitan is derived
- mobisode from mobile (phone) and episode
- mockney from mock and Cockney
- moped from motor and pedal
- motel from motor and hotel
- moxibustion from mogusa, the Japanese name for Artemisia vulgaris, and combustion
- mutagen from mutation and from Gk. genesis "origin, creation, generation,"
- Oxbridge from Oxford and Cambridge
- permaculture from permanent agriculture, or permanent culture, coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren during the 1970s
- permafrost from permanent and frost
- petrochemical from petroleum and chemical. Because the crucial root oleo has been removed, this word is a portmanteau.
- phoneme from phonetics and scheme. This is a way to distinguish sounds of symbols.
- pluot from plum and apricot
- pomosexual from postmodern and sexual
- posistor from positive and thermistor[citation needed]
- prosumer from professional and consumer — products at a quality between 'professional' products and 'consumer' products; typically marketed as such
- satisficing from Herbert Simon, satisfactory and sufficing
- screenager from screen (as in a computer monitor) and teenager
- sexercise from sex and exercise
- sexploitation from sex and exploitation
- simulcast from simultaneous and broadcast
- silastic combination silicone and plastic
- skort from skirt and short (as in short pants)
- smaze from smoke and haze
- smog from smoke and fog
- spork from spoon and fork
- sportscast from sports and broadcast
- stagflation from stagnation and inflation
- tangelo from tangerine and pomelo
- televangelist from television and evangelist
- tofurkey from tofu and turkey
- toonie from two and loonie, a Canadian $2 coin (where a loonie is the Canadian $1 coin)
- trill from true and real
- triticale from triticum and secale (Latin for wheat and rye)
- turducken from turkey, duck, and chicken, a food dish in which a turkey is stuffed with a duck which is itself stuffed with a chicken)
- twincest from twin and incest
- webzine from web and magazine
- wigger from white and nigger, a caucasian person who dresses, speaks, etc. in an attempt to emulate the perceived mannerisms of an African American youth, especially those mannerisms based on ethnic stereotype; also spelled whigger
Technology
- alphanumeric from alphabetic and numeric
- animatronics from animation and electronics
- apronym from apropos and acronym
- ARPAnet from ARPA and network
- ASCIIbetical from ASCII and alphabetical
- automagic(al) from automatic and magic(al)
- avionics from aviation and electronics
- bit from binary and digit
- brouter from bridge and router
- codec from coder and decoder
- cyborg from cybernetics and organism
- datacasting from data and broadcasting
- desknote from desktop and notebook is another name for a desktop replacement computer, a laptop that seeks to fulfill all the functions of a desktop computer.
- digerati from digital and literati
- digipeater from digital and repeater
- emoticon from emotion and icon
- email from electronic and mail
- ezine from electronic and magazine
- Fembot from female and robot
- Feminoid from female and android
- Internet from international/interglobal/interchanged and network
- Kripkenstein from Kripke and Wittgenstein, coined to describe a philosophical position that Kripke argued one could read into Wittgenstein's work, but which neither he nor Wittgenstein accepted.
- malware from malicious and software
- marchitecture from marketing and architecture. (alt. marketecture)
- modem from modulator and demodulator
- multicart from multiple and cartridge. This kind of cartridge consists of multiple games in one (e.g. 76,000-in-1 from Power Player Super Joy III).
- netizen from (Inter)net and citizen
- netiquette from (Inter)net and etiquette (similarly, wikiquette)
- Odditorium from odd and auditorium - a museum that display exhibits beyond realistic imagination.
- pixel from picture and element
- podcasting from iPod and broadcasting
- privoxy from private and proxy
- qubit from quantum and bit
- ringxiety from ring and anxiety
- smudgemate from smudge and estimate
- spambot from spam and robot
- spamdexing from spam and indexing
- sporgery from spam and forgery
- satisficing from satisfactory and sufficient
- sysop from system and operator
- telecast from television and broadcast
- telematics from telecommunications and informatics
- texel from texture and element
- thermistor from thermal and resistor
- transistor from transfer and resistor
- voxel from volume and pixel
- Wikiquette from Wikipedia and etiquette
Science
- prion from proteinaceous and infectious
Marketing
- advertainment from advertising and entertainment
- advertorial from advertising and editorial
- cineplex from cinema and complex (building)
- docudrama from documentary and drama
- docusoap from documentary and soap opera (serialised drama)
- dramedy from dramatic and comedy (television)
- edutainment from education and entertainment
- faction from fact and fiction (a story which is based on fact, made fictional, perhaps by switching names. Also, fictionalized fact)
- fraudience from fraud and audience
- infomercial from information and commercial
- infotainment from information and entertainment
- Limon from lime and lemon, a commercial construction to promote the soft drink Sprite
- mockumentary from mock and documentary
- multiplex from multiple and cineplex (itself a portmanteau) - this word has a different meaning in telecommunications
Art, literature, media and popular culture
Numerous portmanteaux have been coined by or for various media.
Film
- Bollywood from Bombay and Hollywood
- dubtitle from dub and subtitle, for subtitles transcribed from dubbed soundtrack, especially in anime
- mog from man and dog, from the film Spaceballs
- Orgasmatron from orgasm and electron(ic), from Woody Allen's film Sleeper
- rockumentary from rock and documentary
- Wonkavator from Wonka and elevator, a fictional elevator that can move in any direction, not merely up or down featured in the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Television
- airpain from airplane and pain, the name of a microgame on Wario Ware, Inc. Mega Microgame$ and Wario Ware, Inc. Mega Party Game$.
- Britcom from British and comedy, by analogy with sitcom (see below)
- dancersize from dance and circumsize, from Fry and Laurie
- mimbo from male and bimbo, from a Seinfeld episode
- manssiere from man and brassiere, a bra designed for and worn by a man (coined on a Seinfeld episode)
- newrun from new and rerun - episode from a talk-show wherin old subjects are rehashed.
- Policenauts from police and astronaut
- sacrilicious from sacrilege and delicious, used by Homer Simpson
- tomacco from tomato and tobacco, a fictional vegetable from The Simpsons
- Wikiality from wiki and reality, coined by Stephen Colbert based on how if enough people believe something to be true on wikipedia it becomes reality.
Radio
- opinuendo from opinion and inuendo, a term used regularly on the Radio From Hell show.
Literature
- Freakonomics from Freak and Economics. Book by economist Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen J. Dubner
Video games
- Famicom from family and computer, this is the official name for the Japanese version of the Nintendo Entertainment System.
- Famiclone from Famicom and clone. These are clones of the NES/Famicom. Many of these products are pirated hardware.
- Goombario from Goomba and Mario, a friendly variation of the goomba and a playable character in Paper Mario
- Goomboss from Goomba and boss, a boss enemy from Super Mario 64 DS.
- machinima from machine and cinema
- magikoopa from magic and koopa, characters from the Super Mario series of games that performed magic; Kamek is the most famous of the class.
- Pokémon from pocket and monster
- Portendo from portable and Nintendo is a project implemented by Kevin Horton. This project involves the concept of making a compact (portable) NES/Famicom.
- Somari from Sonic and Mario. This game was a pirated hack of Sonic the Hedgehog casting Mario instead.
- Waluigi from Wario and Luigi, he is Wario's brother (i.e. evil variation of Luigi).
Music
- bootylicious from booty and delicious, a Destiny's Child song
- Instrumedley from instrumental and medley, a song performed only during live shows by the progressive metal band Dream Theater
- Sexplosion! from sexual and explosion, an album by My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
Internet media
- Animutation, an absurdist animation genre, from animation and mutation
- caninja from canine and ninja (coined in an Ask a Ninja episode)[citation needed]
- minja from midget and ninja (coined in an Ask a Ninja episode)[citation needed]
- ninjelephant from ninja and elephant (coined in an Ask a Ninja episode)[citation needed]
- niniature golf from ninja and miniature golf (coined in an Ask a Ninja episode)[citation needed]
Comic books and manga
- scanlation from scan and translation, used for unofficial internet-distributed translations of manga
Sports
- smark from smart and mark, a slang term from professional wrestling for fans who recognize the scripted nature of the business, but enjoy the in-ring entertainment
- streetball from street and basketball
Organizations, companies and brand names
- Accenture from accent and future (accent from the future)
- Amtrak from America, travel and track
- Banesto from Banco Español de Crédito (Spanish for "Spanish Credit Bank")
- Canola from Canadian oil, low acid, the trademarked name of a specific cultivar of rapeseed developed in Canada to have a naturally low erucic acid content
- Carborundum from carbon and corundum, the original manufacturer of the abrasive, carborundum
- CONMEBOL from Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (Spanish for "South American Football Confederation")
- CONELRAD from control of electromagnetic radiation
- Danimals from Dannon and animals, a line of children's yogurt
- Froogle from frugal and Google, the online shopping branch of Google.
- Fruitopia from fruit and Utopia, a line of fruit-flavored beverage from the Coca-Cola Company.
- Frusion from fruit and fusion is a brand name for a low-fat yogurt by Dannon.
- Hairagami from hair and origami, an "As seen on TV" product for hairstyling for formal events.
- Intel from integrated and electronics; could also act as a short variation of intelligent therefore Intel devices are intelligent in terms of technology.
- Iveco from Industrial Vehicles Corporation.
- Jazzercise from jazz and exercise
- Microsoft from microcomputer and software - when the name was created it was in fact Micro-Soft, a few months ago after its creation the name became Microsoft.
- Nicorette from nicotine and cigarette - a brand name for an anti-nicotine gum.
- Pictionary from picture and dictionary, a popular board game distributed by Hasbro Inc.
- pizzone from pizza and calzone, popularized by Pizza Hut
- Squand from sand and aqua is a popular kid's toy sold most notably in the early 90's, popularized by Nickelodeon commercials.
- Texaco from Texas, (possibly Mexico) and company (or corporation), an oil company.
- Verizon from veritas (Latin for truth) and horizon
- Wexis, from Westlaw and LexisNexis, a humorous term used to refer to the two academic publishing conglomerates that dominate the legal information services industry.
- Wikibooks from wiki and books, a project for a collection of free textbooks, manuals, and other texts, with supporting book-based texts, that is written collaboratively on its website.
- Wiktionary from wiki and dictionary, a sister project to Wikipedia intended to be a free wiki dictionary (thesaurus and lexicon therein) in every language.
- Wikipedia from wiki and encyclopedia which is a web-based free content encyclopedia that is openly edited and freely readable.
- Zend Technologies from Zeev Suraski and Andi Gutmans, the company's founders.
Animals
- cama - from camel and llama
- cockapoo from Cocker and poodle
- geep (sometimes shoat) from goat and sheep
- labradoodle from Labrador and poodle
- liger (sometimes tigon) from lion and tiger
- pekeapoo from Pekingese and poodle
- schnoodle from schnauzer and poodle
- wholphin from whale and dolphin
- zeedonk from zebra and donkey
- zony from zebra and pony
Portmanteaux by Lewis Carroll from Jabberwocky
Some of these terms are nonce words, others are of questionable origin or have worked their way into common speech.
- brillig from begin and broiling, according to Humpty Dumpty, "four o'clock in the afternoon—the time when you begin broiling things for dinner."
- slithy from lithe and slimy.
- mimsy from flimsy and miserable.
- frumious from fuming and furious.
- burbled a possible mixture of bleat, murmur, and warble, but also a legitimate dictionary word, derived from the Middle English "burblen", and meaning a gurgling or bubbling sound.
- galumphing; to galumph is to gallop triumphantly.
Politics, economics and geography
- Bakerloo from Baker Street and Waterloo, a London Underground stattion that links those Barker and Waterloo.
- feminazi from feminist and nazi, a deragatory term describing extreme feminists. There is no real connection to the Nazi party.
- Hongcouver from Hong Kong and Vancouver, a negative slang for Vancouver, British Columbia due to a high asian population there. It caught on in Canadian culture.
- Juneteenth from June and nineteenth, a popular celebration in Texas among African-Americans; June 19, 1865 was the date on which the Emancipation Proclamation was first read in Texas
- Michiana from Michigan and Indiana, an informal name for the region composed of the two states.
- Pennsyltucky from Pennsylvania and Kentucky, the area of Pennslyvania in the north and center of the state which is neither Philadelphia nor Pittsburgh (and their respective suburbs). These areas tend to vote Republican (like Kentucky), while the urban and suburban areas are more Democratic.
- Reaganomics from Reagan and economics
- Rogernomics from Roger and economics
- Rubinomics from Rubin and economics
- Ruthanasia from Ruth and euthanasia
- Malaysia from Malaya and Singapore, the name was adopted when Singapore entered the federation and was maintained when Singapore seceded.
- Tanzania from Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the name was adopted when the two countries united.
Portmanteaux of portmanteaux
- alphanumeric from alphabetic and numeric
- ASCIIbetical from ASCII and alphabetical
- Googlepedia from Google and Wikipedia to describe a possible cooperation project.
- voxel from volumetric and pixel