a word that is invented by combining the beginning of one word and the end of another and keeping the meaning of each. For example motel is a portmanteau word that is a combination of motor and hotel. Topics Languagec2缩合词,合并词(由一个词的词首和另一个词的词尾合成) Word Originportmanteau coined, in this sense, by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking Glass (1871).