In linguistics a portmanteau word is a word that combines the form and meaning of two or more other words; a blend.
Common examples include the following:
- Motel: Motor Lodge + Hotel
- Brunch: Breakfast + Lunch
- Frenemy: Friend + Enemy (That backstabbing asshole boss at work you have to pretend to like)
- Bromance: Brother (male) + Romance (Non-sexual although one may feel a slight twinge in one’s loins)
- Cosplay: Costume + Play (When your partner dresses up like Little Red Riding Hood and you as the Big Bad Wolf and give her a big surprise…or so I’m told?)
When you hear the word Titicaca you think of the largest lake in South America nestled in The Andes straddling Peru and Bolivia. When I hear Titicaca I think it’s the greatest Portmanteau Word ever!