Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Contemporary (2000–) ·2005
Brangelina
Brad Angelina
- Meaning
- The celebrity couple-name of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
- Source words
- Brad + Angelina
- Coined by
- US tabloid press
- Year
- 2005
Background
Coined shortly after their 2005 public relationship. The couple's 2016 divorce marked the word's transition to retrospective use; the couple-blend construction it popularised still produces new variants a generation later.
Contemporary (2000–)
Faster coinage, faster canonisation. Brexit and podcast both reached the OED within a decade of first use — historically rapid. Social media has made visibility, not invention, the rate-limiting step.
Two words, one coinage.
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