The Inception: A Portmanteau

Due to some technical glitch, 'Still Nascent' appears before this post, though this is the first of the lot.

The art of writing is something I haven't yet mastered even when a slew of silver strands highlighting my hair and crisscrosses snow piled on my face are desperately trying to declare unequivocally the number of winters I've weathered. But I can string together words that I desire to memorize in grammatically correct sentences that make some sense.

Consider this:

I was petrified when a pachyderm proffered me a puffer (read fish or jacket as you wish) with its prehensile proboscis.

Sounds arcane? It might. But that is exactly how I group words that I strive to remember. Yes, I've given up on writing, but I am a vocab enthusiast and have started writing this blog to pursue my passion.

A plethora of 'forwarded' messages deluge my WhatsApp account every day. Some of them don't even deserve a cursory glance, but one particular message has knocked the place off that deluge, a message that said 'die empty' otherwise the graveyard becomes the richest place on earth. That message prompted me to start this blog. Several words and phrases whirl and swirl in my RAM throughout the day causing disquietude. I, therefore, decided to jot them down here to maintain my 'compos mentis' and by sharing I can 'die empty' when the preordained destiny finally arrives.

Now, as the blog post indicates, it's all about vocabulary. 'Lexiconacy' or 'Lexico-lunacy' were other names (moniker) I had thought of, but I believe the term vocabulary resonates more with people than 'lexicon' or 'lexis'. Hence I resolved to retain the rudimentary word 'vocabulary' in the address and I coined my own portmanteau 'vocabuleria' modelled after 'loveria' from the lyrics of a memorable song, though not in similar lines as my son vehemently dissented to conflate 'vocabulary' with 'malaria'.

Portmanteau! That's right. It's one of my 5 most favourite words. You must have guessed the meaning already from the context. Here are some more:

While listening to a podcast and writing my blog over brunch, I scowled at the smog that hung over the polluted cityscape that was visible from my motel.

It's true, they are not compound words. For a contemporary touch, extend the list to vlog, netiquette, netizen, emticon, and marcom. If you know more of these, don't forget to list them in the comments. 

Can you identify the frequently used portmanteaus/ portmanteaux?

Now, it's no surprise that one word can have multiple meanings. Portmanteau is one such word. It features in my favourite canon Harry Potter. Remember the scene where Professor Lupin was introduced to the audience, huddled up in the corner of a seat on the world-famous Hogwarts Express, and Hermione condescended to apprise others of his name that she deciphered from the labels on his suitcase! That same suitcase that Lupin packed magically and effortlessly when he was leaving the school after his resignation, can't be forgotten easily!

Here is the scene that is etched indelibly on many minds.

Lupin's Portmanteau

Hope I succeeded in my attempt to attach this precious word with an even more precious, unforgettable scene so that the word stays with you forever. Next time you watch this or read, your mind will automatically regurgitate this word and that's an efficient technique of memorizing.

It would be remiss of me if I finish this post without mentioning that plural of words that end with -eau, usually end with -eaux.

How is 'Vocabuleria' a portmanteau?

In either ways it actually is. I perceived it as a conjunction of vocabulary and hysteria. On the othe hand it's a virtual receptacle that hosts a web of words or maybe words on web!

 
If it piques your interest, go search up the word 'portmanteau' and learn all you can about it! With worldwide web at your fingertips, the world's your oyster!

I'll talk about the rest of my favourite words in my next post because a concise write-up, I understand, is more interesting and easier to remember.