Neologisms Specifically Retronyms and Portmanteau Words

A retronym is a new name, modifier or phrase for an object or event used to differentiate it from the original form or version. A change is necessary because the first word is ambiguous or technology has advanced so that a single word or phrase no longer adequately describes the word. One example is The Great War. The "war to end all wars" it was called until another world-wide set of hostilities erupted. Thus The Great War was retronymed World War I and the second global war World War II. "Please bring me a glass of milk and my book" no long gives enough information.

MILK: whole, 2%, 1%, fat free, soy, organic, calcium enriched, lactose free, chocolate, raw, acidophilus, condensed, evaporated, powered, buttermilk

BOOK: hard cover, soft cover, paperback, trade paperback, self-published, e-book, audio, phone book, address book

LAWN MOWER: push, electric or riding

MOVIES: silent, talkies, DVDs, in-theater, in-home, video cams

COFFEE : regular, decaf, flavored, instant, latte, espresso, iced, Irish, white, frappe, cappuccino, cafe au lait + 65 others

MOTHER: biological, adoptive, surrogate

OVEN: microwave, conventional, convection, gas, electric, toaster

COKE: regular, caffeine free, diet, Classic, diet caffeine free

SOAP: bar, gel, anti-bacterial, body wash, f0am, lotion, natural, African black, exfoliating, anti-aging, acne fighting

TELEPHONE: push button, rotary dial, land-line, mobile, cell, wireless, iChat, Skype

TELEVISION: analog, digital, plasma, high definition, LCD, wall-mount, stand alone

SUIT: men's suits, pants suit, skirt suit

FRESHMAN: first year student, red shirt, true freshman, walk-on

DIAPER: cloth, disposable

BICYCLE: two-wheeler, unicycle, electric, recumbent, retro, mountain, street, racing

WATER: tap, sparkling, designer brand, flavored, distilled, filtered, rain water, gray water, bottled

COPY: hard copy, carbon copy, electronic copy, paper copy, FAX

[New York Times, "Retronym", William Safire, 1/7/2007]

PORTMANTEAU WORDS are new words made from two existing words. (Lewis Carroll, 1871 in Alice Through The Looking Glass) Plural: portmanteaus or portmanteaux. In French, a portmanteau is a suitcase with two compartments.

BIONIC: biology+electronic

MOPED: motor+pedal

MOTEL: motor+hotel

REPUBLICRAT: middle of the road political believer

EZINE: electronic+magazine

BLOG: web+log

SNIRT: snow+dirt especially blowing in the air

GLOBISH: globe+English, an international business language of 1,500 English words and grammatical structure understood and used around the world

GLEETS: gloves+feet, shoes with individual spaces for toes

GEEP: hybrid animal mixing a goat+a sheep

CHUNNEL: English Channel+tunnel

INTERNET: international network

GOOD-BYE: God+be(with)+you

CROISSANDWICH: croissant+sandwich ingredients

GENOME: gene+chromosome

VOLUNTOLD: volunteer+told, being told you were "volunteered" for a task

DIABESITY: diabetes+obesity

PIXEL: picture+element

KARAOKE: two Japanese words meaning empty orchestra

PULSAR: pulsating+star

LIGER: lion+tiger

Look this week for another post on neologisms: backronyms.