Blends of Words: Portmanteaus or Portmanteaux +

(many blended words have entered English since the 1800's; a significant number of which are corporate brand names)

pulsar: pulse + quasar
1. A small dense star that emits brief intense bursts of visible radiation, radio waves, and X-rays, and is generally believed to be a rapidly rotating neutron star.
2. A blend of pulse and quasar.
  • Pulse: A brief temporary change in a normally constant quantity, e.g. in a voltage, or a series of intermittent disturbances that are regular in form and frequency of occurrence.
  • Quasar: A compact object in space, usually with a large red shift indicating extreme remoteness, that emits huge amounts of energy, sometimes equal to the energy output of an entire galaxy.
quasar: quasi + stellar
1. One of over a thousand known extragalactic objects, starlike in appearance and having spectra with characteristically large redshifts, that are thought to be the most distant and most luminous objects in the universe.
2. A blend of quasi and stellar.
  • Quasi: As if; as though; as it were; in a manner sense or degree; having some resemblance to.
  • Stellar: Relating to, consisting of, or like a star or stars.
radome: radar + dome
1. A dome-shaped protective enclosure for a radar antenna, made from materials that do not interfere with the transmission and reception of radio waves.
2. A blend of radar and dome.
  • Radar: The electronic equipment that transmits and receives high-frequency radio waves to detect, locate, and track distant objects; an acronym composed of radio detection and ranging.
  • Dome: A hemispherical or convex structure, that slopes in all directions from a central point; especially, a building.
redox: reduction + oxidation
1. A chemical reaction in which one component loses electrons or is oxidized and another gains electrons or is reduced.
2. A blend of reduction and oxidation.
  • Reduction: The decreasing of something in size, number, extent, degree, or intensity.
  • Oxidation: A chemical reaction in which oxygen is added to an element or compound.
simulcast: simultaneous + broadcast
1. A program that is broadcast simultaneously on both television and radio, on multiple channels, or in multiple languages; or a live broadcast of an event on closed-circuit television.
2. A blend of simultaneous and broadcast.
  • Simultaneous: Done, happening, or existing at the same time.
  • Broadcast: A broadcasting of radio or television messages, speeches, etc.
smaze: smoke + haze
1. A combination of smoke and haze; or, a very light smoke condition that resembles haze.
2. A blend of smoke and haze.
  • Smoke: A mass of tiny particles in the air that rises up from something burning.
  • Haze: Mist, cloud, or smoke suspended in the atmosphere and obscuring or obstructing the view.
smog: smoke + fog
1. A mixture of fog and smoke or other airborne pollutants such as exhaust fumes.
2. A blend of smoke and fog.
  • Smoke: The visible vapor and gases given off by a burning or smoldering substance; especially, the gray, brown, or blackish mixture of gases and suspended carbon particles resulting from the combustion of wood, peat, coal, or other organic matter.
  • Fog: Condensed water vapor in the air at or near ground level.
squadrol: squad car + patrol wagon
1. A police vehicle that serves the purposes of both a patrol wagon and squad car.
2. A blend of squad car and patrol wagon.
  • Squad car: A police car linked by radio with police headquarters.
  • Patrol wagon: An enclosed police vehicle for transporting prisoners.
squiggle: squirm + wriggle
1. An illegible handwritten word or words or a wavy or curly line or movement.
2. A blend of squirm and wriggle.
  • Squirm: To move in a twisting or contorted motion; especially, when struggling.
  • Wriggle: To make small quick twisting and turning movements with the body.
stagflation: stagnation + inflation
1. A period of rising prices and unemployment but little growth in consumer demand and business activity.
2. A blend of stagnation and inflation.
  • Stagnation: A period of slow economic growth, or, in securities trading, a period of inactive trading.
  • Inflation: An increase in the supply of currency or credit relative to the availability of goods and services, resulting in higher prices and a decrease in the purchasing power of money.
transistor: transfer + resistor
1. A small low-powered solid-state electronic device consisting of a semiconductor and at least three electrodes, used as an amplifier and rectifier and frequently incorporated into integrated circuit chips.
2. A blend of transfer and resistor.
  • Transfer: To move from one place to another, or to cause someone or something to do so.
  • Resistor: A component of an electrical circuit that has resistance and is used to control the flow of electric current.
transponder, transpondor: transmitter + responder
1. A device that relays electrical signals not necessarily in the same form or on the same frequency as received or an electrical device designed to receive a specific signal and automatically transmit a specific reply or a radio or radar transceiver that automatically transmits a signal of its own when it receives a predetermined signal from elsewhere, used especially for locating and identifying objects.
2. A blend of transmitter and responder.
  • Transmitter: A piece of broadcasting equipment that generates a radio-frequency wave, modulates it so that it carries a meaningful signal, and sends it out from an antenna.
  • Responder: In general, an instrument that indicates the reception of an electric or electromagnetic signal.
varistor: varied + resistor
1. A voltage-dependent variable resistor which is normally used to protect sensitive equipment from power spikes or lightning strikes by shunting the energy to the ground or a two-element semiconductor with nonlinear resistance in which the resistance drops as the applied voltage increases.
2. A blend of varied and resistor.
  • Varied: That which changes periodically or in succession and differs or alternates.
  • Resistor: An electrical component that limits or regulates the flow of electrical current in an electronic circuit and it can also be used to provide a specific voltage for an active device such as a transistor.
wikipedia: wiki + encyclopedia
1. The world's largest encyclopedia available on the web at www.wikipedia.com presenting content about every conceivable subject, which has been written and edited by hundreds of thousands of contributors from all walks of life.
2. A blend of wiki and encyclopedia.
  • Wiki: "Wiki wiki" means "quick" in Hawaiian.
  • Encyclopedia: A reference work (often in several volumes) containing articles on various topics (often arranged in alphabetical order) dealing with the entire range of human knowledge or with some particular specialty.