I was reading the New York Times recently and saw the
word, “portmanteau.” I was not familiar
with the work and looked it up on my trusty iPhone. First definition was “a large trunk or
suitcase, typically made of stiff leather and opening into two equal parts.” The definition did not make sense and I read
further. “Consisting of or combining two
or more separable aspects or qualities.” That was closer. Next, “a linguistic blend of words or their sounds
and their meanings are combined into a new word.” Examples are smog for smoke and fog or spork
for spoon and fork. The list is
endless. The only legal term which comes
to mind is “palimony” from pal and alimony.
The term was made famous in the Lee Marvin case. It was coined by celebrity divorce attorney
Marvin Mitchelson in 1977 when his client Michelle Triola Marvin filed an
unsuccessful suit against the actor Lee Marvin.
Michelle Triola sought support from Lee Marvin even though they had not
married. She lost. I am not aware of any other divorce or
mediation portmanteau words but can create some. Diviation for divorce mediation. Not sure we
want this one. Advesorce for adversary divorce.
Chort for child support. Collaborce for
collaborative divorce. Aldilution for alternative dispute resolution. Don’t think any of these will catch on!
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