A portmanteau is a fascinating part of the English language, an item of incorporating two words. We utilize them frequently, yet it’s a pleasure to discover how these words come into our English vocabulary.
Portmanteau
Considering that it is about portmanteaus, it is interesting to keep in mind that the word itself is a summary of its nature. A portmanteau is a combination of 2 French words ‘concierge’ and ‘manteau’ which implies ‘to bring’ and ‘cloak’ specifically. It gained its appeal when Lewis Carroll utilized it in his novel Via the Looking Glass where Humpty Dumpty discussed to Alice the unusual words she listens to in Heaven.
” Like a portmanteau – there are two definitions evacuated right into one word,” he stated
Turducken
Ever wonder what a ‘turducken’ is? It is a dish which is a mix of three birds: turkey, duck, and chicken. Specifically, it is a deboned turkey, packed with a deboned duck with deboned poultry inside it. Got it?
Velcro
Practically everybody understands and has utilized velcro; the bolt made up of two opposing items of material. George de Mestral invented velcro in 1948; nevertheless, he just gave the name much later from a mix of 2 French words, ‘velours’ and ‘croche,’ to define his creation. Velcro suggests ‘hooked velvet’ although it may not feel like a velour.
Smog
Many, otherwise all, understand what smoke is, the chemical-smoke-infused fog covering most major cities on the planet nowadays. Dr Henry Des Voeux coined the word in 1905 to identify the difference between real haze and the harmful smoke haze given off by coal factories in London throughout that time.
Spork
Spork is that crossbreed tool which integrates a spoon and a fork. It was created as well as patented by Samuel W. Francis in 1847. Nevertheless, his initial invention consisted of a knife on edge. Imagine if the style made it through, it would certainly not just be spork yet, most likely, kniforkon. Spork, on the other hand, went into the English language in 1909.
Brunch
The word ‘brunch’ got in the English language when an English columnist composed an item labelled “Breakfast: A Plea” which requested for a mid-day dish on Sundays which, he said, would make the lives of Saturday night carousers much easier since it provides sufficient time to rest and also rest instead of being forced to get up early to eat breakfast. Hence, we have to give thanks to those Saturday revellers for bringing us this fantastic dish into our lives and our vocabulary as well.
Madcap
This “crazy” portmanteau originated from combining an Old English and Latin word. The old English word gemaedde suggests ‘out of one’s mind’ and the Latin caput for ‘head.’ It entered into use in the English language way back in the 1580s.
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