Which of the following examples represents the phenomenon of blending?

Blending is a linguistic phenomenon that involves combining parts of two or more words to create a new word that typically carries meanings from both original terms. The term "brunch" is a prime example of this process, as it fuses "breakfast" and "lunch" to describe a meal that occurs between the two traditional meal times. This new word not only represents a specific time of day but also conveys characteristics of both breakfast and lunch.

In contrast, deriving one word from another, as seen in the word "derive," refers to creating a new word that maintains a connection to its original form but does not involve blending. Acronyms, like "NASA," are formed by taking the initial letters of a phrase and creating a new word, which is distinct from blending. Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings, such as "hot" and "cold," and do not involve the combination of words in the way that blending does. These distinctions highlight why "brunch" is the correct illustration of blending, as it exemplifies the integration of two separate concepts into one cohesive new term.