Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Contemporary (2000–) ·2001
Bromance
brother romance
- Meaning
- A close but non-sexual friendship between men.
- Source words
- brother + romance
- Coined by
- Dave Carnie
- Year
- 2001
Background
Coined in skate magazine *Big Brother* to describe the friendships skaters formed on the road. Absorbed into mainstream entertainment journalism within five years.
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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