Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Early 20th century ·1940
Paratroop
parachute troop
- Meaning
- Soldiers who deploy by parachute.
- Source words
- parachute + troop
- Coined by
- US War Department
- Year
- 1940
Background
First recorded in US military press releases announcing the 1940 formation of airborne test platoons. Adjective *paratroop* came before noun *paratrooper*; both are standard now.
Early 20th century
Industrialisation generated new things that needed new names, fast. Motoring, electricity, telecommunications, and urban pollution all produced portmanteaus within a generation of their arrival.
Two words, one coinage.
Browse every portmanteau on the shelf — or cross over to the loanwords atlas.