mélange

noun

: a mixture often of incongruous elements
a mélange of architectural styles

Did you know?

Mélange got mixed into the melting pot of English back in the 1600s. It derives from the Middle French verb mesler, which means "to mix." "Mélange" is actually one of several French contributions to the English body of words for miscellaneous mixtures. "Pastiche" (meaning "a composition made up of selections of different works," or broadly, "a disorderly mixture, hodgepodge") is borrowed from French, and "medley" and "potpourri" have roots in French, too. There's also the lesser known "gallimaufry" (meaning "hodgepodge"), which comes from the Middle French galimafree (meaning "stew").

Examples of mélange in a Sentence

a mélange of colors and shapes a mélange of architectural styles
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The video, funded by the Trump campaign, features a melange of Latin-ish stuff, like Cuban musical motifs and Mexican folk dancers. Jp Brammer, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024 The film follows the fate of the planet Arrakis—and its supply of melange, a unique spice and the most valuable substance in the universe—which rests in the hands of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the untested son of a powerful duke. Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 29 Oct. 2024 The track is a tender plea for unity built around dextrous acoustic guitars and a melange of light percussion, while Wonder also laces it with piano, bass, harmonica, and more. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2024 The Fenty mogul wore a sharp, double-breasted gray melange suit from Vivienne Westwood’s fall 2023 collection. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2024 Options are plentiful, from solid grey melange, navy, cream, and black to whimsical designs, like a half-moon print and holiday gift motifs. Laura Lajiness Kaupke, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2024 This year’s slate of 21 documentaries from 24 countries at the Toronto International Film Festival (September 5 – 15) is a melange of newsy subjects, rising directors, and potential Oscar contenders. Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2024 Neighboring Cape Breton Island (No. 2), meanwhile, is a fascinating cultural melange where Scottish, Acadian, and Mi’kmaw influences intermingle against a backdrop of picturesque coastal landscapes. Lila Harron Battis, Travel + Leisure, 9 July 2024 The plot can sometimes feel like a chaotic melange stretched too thin, but White, who wrote the Illumination avian charmer Migration, elevates the overall narrative by injecting doses of his perennial interest in the social codes of the rich. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "act of mixing, mixture," going back to Middle French meslinges, meslanges (plural), from mesler, meler "to mix" + -ange, deverbal action noun suffix (as in Old French loange "praise," vuidange "emptying, outlet"), borrowed from Old Low Franconian *-inga-, *-unga-, going back to Germanic *-ingō, *-ungō — more at meddle, -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mélange was in 1653

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Cite this Entry

“Mélange.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/m%C3%A9lange. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

mélange

noun
mé·​lange mā-ˈlänzh How to pronounce mélange (audio) -ˈlänj How to pronounce mélange (audio)
: a mixture often of dissimilar elements
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