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the word for...

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  • 30-08-2006 6:51pm
    #1
    flogen
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 10,243 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    I just have a mental block on this despite hearing it just a few days ago...

    ... what's the technical term for a word created by the combination of two other words... for example babysitter is a combination of baby and sitter...

    My head is melted trying to think of the correct term...!!!!


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    #2
    flogen
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 10,243 Mod ✭✭✭✭flogen


    ok.... I think the phrase/word I was thinking of was compound word... :D


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    #3
    ecksor
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 10,501 Mod ✭✭✭✭ecksor


    Anagram.

    For example, the letters in the word 'babysitter' also form the words 'bares by tit'.

    Hope that helps.


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    #4
    pH
    Registered Users Posts: 4,188 ✭✭✭pH


    Probably not what you're looking for but a Portmanteau is a word made up from adding parts of two different words together.

    smoke + fog = smog
    breakfast + lunch = brunch


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    #5
    Tar.Aldarion
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,090 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    I would have thought it was just a compound word as you say, unless there is some variation of agglutinative...
    I wouldn't think so though.


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