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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
Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2026
Beyond dyeing, Bossa continue to advance its Circular Dye concept, not only as a dye innovation but also to create differentiated melange and tonal effects at the yarn level, adding originality and visual richness to the collection.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 10 Apr. 2026
Young people take new shine to tanning And there are indications that tanning is making a comeback among teens and young adults, inspired by the melange of health and wellness content proliferating on social media and TikTok.
—Will Stone, NPR, 19 Mar. 2026
Cookbook author Jeanne Kelley bakes the cheese in this recipe before drizzling it with honey, and combines it with arugula and beets, thereby allowing the whole melange to be called a salad.
—Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
Panzanella salad, rolls of pork and turkey with cabbage from the garden, a melange of beef braised with red-wine and mushroom, served with a crepe.
—Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Feb. 2026
Now young people dress according to the fad du jour, or simply combine lots of different aesthetics into one oftentimes confusing melange.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 2026
Inspired by the designs of the Belgian interior designer and art dealer Axel Vervoordt, its wabi-sabi interiors are an imperfectly perfect melange of cool-toned walls and warm natural materials.
—Lisa Grainger, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Feb. 2026
Assembled by Christine Guérard over her lifetime, the antiques collection is a melange of colorful Persian carpets, oil paintings, fine French cabinetry, and Asian objets d’art.
—Mary Winston Nicklin, AFAR Media, 20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mélange.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/m%C3%A9lange. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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