Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·The Victorian portmanteau ·1871
Slithy
lithe slimy
- Meaning
- Lithe and slimy (Humpty Dumpty's gloss).
- Source words
- lithe + slimy
- Coined by
- Lewis Carroll
- Year
- 1871
Background
The word Carroll uses in *Through the Looking-Glass* to explain the portmanteau concept itself. Never entered standard English but remains the canonical example.
The Victorian portmanteau
Lewis Carroll didn't invent portmanteau-making, but he named the technique and demonstrated it with enough flair that the word-class is often traced to him. Two of the words here are direct Carroll coinages.
Two words, one coinage.
Browse every portmanteau on the shelf — or cross over to the loanwords atlas.