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Blend word
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<p>In <a href="/facts/Linguistics/oQuamvf2">linguistics</a>, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together. English examples include <i><a href="/facts/Smog/5FYzS8sT">smog</a></i>, coined by blending <i>smoke</i> and <i>fog</i>, and <i><a href="/facts/Motel/yxXLw0DA">motel</a></i>, from <i>motor</i> (<i><a href="/facts/Motorist/wRv4PUGd">motorist</a></i>) and <i>hotel</i>. </p><p>A blend is similar to a <a href="/facts/Contraction_(grammar)/NmpGfPrk">contraction</a>. On one hand, mainstream blends tend to be formed at a particular historical moment followed by a rapid rise in popularity. On the other hand, contractions are formed by the gradual drifting together of words over time due to the words commonly appearing together in sequence, such as <i>do not</i> naturally becoming <i>don't</i> (phonologically, /duː nɒt/ becoming /doʊnt/). A blend also differs from a <a href="/facts/Compound_(linguistics)/IbumXJgd">compound</a>, which fully preserves the <a href="/facts/Stem_(linguistics)/7Aq8G5fP">stems</a> of the original words. The British <a href="/facts/Lecturer/VcD4uwU1">lecturer</a> Valerie Adams's 1973 <i>Introduction to Modern English Word-Formation</i> explains that "In words such as <i>motel</i>..., <i>hotel</i> is represented by various shorter substitutes – <i>‑otel</i>... – which I shall call splinters. Words containing splinters I shall call blends". Thus, at least one of the parts of a blend, strictly speaking, is not a complete <a href="/facts/Morpheme/4JNcPMHs">morpheme</a>, but instead a mere splinter or leftover word fragment. For instance, <i>starfish</i> is a compound, not a blend, of <i>star</i> and <i>fish</i>, as it includes both words in full. However, if it were called a "<i>stish</i>" or a "<i>starsh</i>", it would be a blend. Furthermore, when blends are formed by shortening established <a href="/facts/Compound_(linguistics)/IbumXJgd">compounds</a> or phrases, they can be considered <a href="/facts/Clipped_compound/mhQcJsAo">clipped compounds</a>, such as <i>romcom</i> for <i>romantic comedy</i>. </p>