Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Late 20th century ·1969
Rockumentary
rock documentary
- Meaning
- A documentary about rock music, a band, or a tour.
- Source words
- rock + documentary
- Coined by
- collective
- Year
- 1969
Background
Emerged alongside *Monterey Pop* and *Gimme Shelter*. Rob Reiner's *This Is Spinal Tap* (1984) popularised the word self-consciously as a mockumentary about rockumentaries.
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.