Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Late 20th century ·1982
Freeware
free software
- Meaning
- Software distributed at no cost, though usually not open-source.
- Source words
- free + software
- Coined by
- Andrew Fluegelman
- Year
- 1982
Background
Fluegelman trademarked *Freeware* for his PC-Talk program, but his family released the trademark after his death in 1985. The word entered general use; the distinction from *free software* (GNU sense, 1985) came later and is strongly defended by Richard Stallman.
Late 20th century
Marketing, media, and the early internet. Infomercial, emoticon, workaholic — the coinages name phenomena of mass media and white-collar life. Several predate the decades they're associated with.
Two words, one coinage.
Browse every portmanteau on the shelf — or cross over to the loanwords atlas.