Wordsmithing in Medical Toxicology: A Primer on Portmanteaus
2014; eScholarship Publishing, University of California; Volume: 15; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.5811/westjem.2014.2.19509
ISSN1936-9018
Autores Tópico(s)Autopsy Techniques and Outcomes
Resumoport•man•teau1 a large suitcase a word or morpheme whose form and meaning are derived from a blending of two or more distinct forms (as smog from smoke and fog) The history of language is littered with neologisms. When different cultures met, some words were subsumed - “hamburgesa,” the Spanish word for hamburger is an example. Sometimes spelling is changed in order to denote a cultural difference. There are a number of words that end in ‘er’ in American English, but finish with a ‘re’ in the British usage. Finally, some words are simply combined, deriving their meaning from their individual components, but in their artistry and simplicity are able to exceed the sum of their parts. Words such as these, a particular form of neologism called a portmanteau, can denote an entire idea in a single instant and provide the wordsmith with a particular type of joy. The art of the portmanteau has had a recent resurgence. In popular culture names such as ”TomKat,” “Brangelina,” and “Bennifer” have been used ad nauseam to refer to celebrity couples. When discussing the weather, it has been difficult to avoid “snowpocalypse” or “snowmageddon.” These types of terms have other more pervasive entries into everyday life - who hasn’t had a Frappuccino® while enjoying a brunch, perhaps using a spork to do so? The benefit to these shortcuts involves speaking in a more efficient manner. The practice of medicine itself frequently employs not only portmanteaus, but also other neologistic shortcuts, such as by turning acronyms into words in the case of “cabbage” (CABG), “foosh” (fall on an outstretched hand), or the very well known “cat scan” (computed axial tomography). Emergency Medicine also has its own lexicon: “rectalizing” when needing to perform a rectal exam and “antibiosing” when one plans to provide antibiotics are examples. Even our staffing patterns are fair game, with “nocturnalists” frequently providing our overnight emergency department coverage. Finally, other terms such as “dilaudopenic” or “opiophilic” are self-explanatory. The art and practice of Medical Toxicology plays well to this type of verbal repartee, and it is in this vein the following terms are shared:
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