Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Early 20th century ·1940
Radar
radio detection and ranging
- Meaning
- A system that uses radio waves to detect distant objects.
- Source words
- radio + detection and ranging
- Coined by
- US Navy
- Year
- 1940
Background
An acronym-portmanteau hybrid. Coined as a classified term in 1940 and released to the public in 1943. Replaced the earlier British "RDF" (radio direction finding).
Early 20th century
Industrialisation generated new things that needed new names, fast. Motoring, electricity, telecommunications, and urban pollution all produced portmanteaus within a generation of their arrival.
Two words, one coinage.
Browse every portmanteau on the shelf — or cross over to the loanwords atlas.