Wednesday 15 October 2008

What do you call it when...

...you get words that are essentially a number of small words that have become one long single word?

Like 'thereafter' (which someone actually used on the phone to me this morning, which is what got me thinking).

Or 'nonetheless'.

Or 'nowadays'.

Or my personal favourite... 'ne'erdowell'. (I know a few of those).

1 comment:

Hunter said...

I don't know the answer, 'albeit' an interesting question.

There is such a thing as a portmanteau word but that bastardises the individual words e.g. smoke + fog = smog.

Will think on't.