Portmanteau
What’s the etymology of the grammatical usage of this word?
(Credit: Reddit user Mark30322)
I had known this as the definition of when two words were combined into one: Reagnomics, frenemy, etc.
However, I encountered it in book to describe luggage. That got me to the original definition, which is a suitcase that opens up into matching sections.
The usage of it to describe grammar comes from the Lewis Carroll book Through the Looking Glass in 1871. Humpty Dumpty invents a word, and says:
You see it’s like a portmanteau – there are two meanings packed up into one word.
So, the concept of “two meanings” being “packed up” is taken from the style of luggage.
The original meaning prior to 1871 is from a Middle French word meaning “to pack/carry a bag or cloak while traveling.”
Why I Looked It Up
From Etiquette & Espionage:
Accordingly, she was given an old portmanteau from the attic, three hatboxes, and a carpetbag.