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Portmanteau Words

A portmanteau word combines two or more words into one, carrying the meanings of both. Lewis Carroll coined the term in Through the Looking-Glass (1871). Joyce made it a primary technique.

What Is a Portmanteau?​

Humpty Dumpty explains to Alice:

"You see it's like a portmanteau—there are two meanings packed up into one word."

Carroll's examples:

  • Slithy = Slimy + Lithe
  • Mimsy = Miserable + Flimsy

Joyce took this much further.

Joyce's Portmanteau Method​

Joyce's portmanteaus typically:

  • Combine 2–5 words
  • Draw from multiple languages
  • Create new meanings beyond the sum of parts
  • Carry thematic weight

Example: "Chaosmos"​

"chaosmos" (p. 118)

ComponentMeaning
ChaosDisorder, primordial void
CosmosOrder, universe
CombinedThe universe as ordered chaos

This single word captures Joyce's worldview: reality is both chaotic and ordered.

Major Portmanteaus​

Opening and Closing​

Riverrun (p. 3)​

"riverrun, past Eve and Adam's..."

ComponentMeaning
RiverThe Liffey, ALP, flow
RunMovement, course
RerunRepetition, cycle

The first word announces: this is a flowing, repeating text.

Alongthe (p. 628)​

"A way a lone a last a loved a long the"

The final fragmented words suggest:

  • A way: A path, away
  • Alone: Solitude
  • A last: Finality
  • Aloved: Beloved
  • Along the: Continuing (to "riverrun")

Character Portmanteaus​

Earwicker​

ComponentMeaning
EarHearing, eavesdropping
WickerBasket, gate
EarwigThe insect (French: perce-oreille)
VikingScandinavian invader

Plurabelle​

ComponentMeaning
PluraMany (Latin plures)
BelleBeautiful (French)
BellSound, ringing
AbleCapable

"Many beautiful things" or "more than beautiful."

Thematic Portmanteaus​

Funferall (p. 13)​

"the funferall"

ComponentMeaning
FunJoy, play
FuneralDeath rite
For allUniversal
Fun for allEntertainment

The wake is both funeral and party—death is also celebration.

Collideorscape (p. 143)​

ComponentMeaning
CollideCrash together
KaleidoscopeShifting patterns
EscapeFlight, evasion
OrAlternative

A crashing, shifting pattern of images—the Wake itself.

Fadograph (p. 569)​

ComponentMeaning
FadedDim, old
PhotographImage captured
GraphWriting, record

A faded photograph—memory, the past captured but dimming.

Categories of Portmanteaus​

Sound-Based​

Words that combine based on similar sounds:

PortmanteauComponentsPage
SinseSin + Since + Sense4
TaufTough + Taufe (baptism)79
MisheMe + Mise (Irish "I am")3

Meaning-Based​

Words that combine based on related concepts:

PortmanteauComponentsConcept
ChaosmosChaos + CosmosReality
FunferallFun + FuneralThe wake
LaughtearsLaughter + TearsTragicomedy

Multilingual​

Words that bridge languages:

PortmanteauLanguagesMeaning
NichtianGerman nicht + -ianNothing-ish
BellsybabbleEnglish + French belleBeautiful chatter
MememormeeEnglish + Latin memorRemember me

Extended Portmanteaus​

Some portmanteaus contain many words:

Bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk (p. 3)​

The first thunderword contains:

  • Baba: Fall (Turkish), father
  • Dalgha: Wave (Turkish)
  • Kammina: Thunder (Finnish kamin)
  • Bronn: Thunder (Swedish)
  • Tonnerre: Thunder (French)
  • Thor: Norse thunder god
  • Hoo: Cry, exclamation
  • And more...

100 letters = one thundering fall.

Proteiform (p. 107)​

ComponentMeaning
ProteusShape-shifting god
ProteinBuilding block
FormShape
Pro-Forward, in favor of

The letter is "a proteiform graph"—a shape-shifting document.

Portmanteau Patterns​

HCE Embedded​

Many words hide HCE's initials:

WordHCE Location
HesitencyH-esit-E-nC-y
HaromphreyldH-A-romphr-E-y-ld
HatchetsburyH-atch-E-tsbury-C

ALP Embedded​

Words hiding ALP:

WordALP Location
AllmazifulA-L-lmazi-P-ful
AlpenstalkALP-enstalk

Creating Meaning​

Portmanteaus don't just combine—they create:

Addition​

Laughtears = Laughter + Tears

But the meaning isn't just "laughter and tears"—it's the simultaneous experience of both, the tragicomic moment.

Multiplication​

Chaosmos = Chaos × Cosmos

The meaning multiplies: not chaos or cosmos, but chaos-as-cosmos, order-within-disorder.

Transformation​

Riverrun = River → Run → Rerun

Each component transforms the others: the river runs, the text reruns, the cycle rivers.

Reading Portmanteaus​

Strategy 1: Sound It Out​

Many portmanteaus reveal themselves when spoken:

  • "Collideorscape" → hear "kaleidoscope"
  • "Funferall" → hear "funeral"

Strategy 2: Look for Roots​

Find familiar word-parts:

  • "Chaosmos" → "chaos" + "cosmos"
  • "Proteiform" → "Proteus" + "form"

Strategy 3: Check Languages​

Consult multilingual resources:

  • McHugh's Annotations
  • FWEET

Strategy 4: Accept Multiplicity​

Hold all meanings simultaneously. The richness is the point.

Portmanteau Glossary​

PortmanteauPageComponentsMeaning
Allmaziful104All + Amazing + Almighty + -fulAll-powerful
Bellsybabble164Bells + Baby + Belle + BabbleBeautiful infant chatter
Chaosmos118Chaos + CosmosOrdered disorder
Collideorscape143Collide + KaleidoscopeCrashing patterns
Fadograph569Faded + PhotographOld memory-image
Funferall13Fun + Funeral + For allCelebratory death
Laughtears15Laughter + TearsTragicomedy
Mememormee628Me + Memor + MemoryRemember me
Mishe mishe3Me + Mise (Irish)I am, I am
Plurabelle—Plura + BelleMany-beautiful
Proteiform107Proteus + Protein + FormShape-shifting
Riverrun3River + Run + RerunFlowing cycle
Sinse4Sin + Since + SenseGuilty knowledge

Further Reading​

  • Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass — The original portmanteau
  • Roland McHugh, Annotations to Finnegans Wake — Word-by-word glosses
  • Anthony Burgess, Here Comes Everybody — Accessible introduction

See Also​