Sound & Diction
Neologism
An invented word, coined outright or fused from existing parts. The reader works it out from its pieces and its context, and the small act of decoding makes the word theirs.
"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves…" — Carroll
Don't confuse it with Catachresis. Catachresis misuses an existing word; neologism mints a new one. A portmanteau is a neologism made by fusion (slithy = slimy + lithe).
In the Reader — 5 excerpts
And discorrupt them, and charge them full with the charge of the soul.
The armies of those I love engirth me and I engirth them, They will not let me off till I go with them, respond to them, And discorrupt them, and charge them full with the charge of the soul.
And the mome raths outgrabe.
A Saturday afternoon in November was approaching the time of twilight, and the vast tract of unenclosed wild known as Egdon Heath embrowned itself moment by moment.
…it was there was a moocow coming down along the road and this moocow that was coming down along the road met a nicens little boy named baby tuckoo...
Travels with
Devices that share a passage with neologism most often — company reveals character.
The rest of the family
Alliteration Assonance Onomatopoeia Tmesis Archaism Solecism Epithet