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mélange

noun
mé·​lange | \ mā-ˈläⁿzh How to pronounce mélange (audio) , -ˈlänj How to pronounce mélange (audio) \

Definition of mélange

: a mixture often of incongruous elements a mélange of architectural styles
Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about mélange

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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

 There’s a lot of similarity between what’s going on in Europe and this constituency and this melange of frustrations in the United States. — Eric Johnson, Vox, "The wrong US response to Russia and China may trigger a “new Cold War,” warns Stanford University’s Larry Diamond," 7 Aug. 2019 But in the high-ceilinged room dedicated to housing oyster larvae, many large plastic tanks stand empty of the greenish melange that would signify a growing batch of larvae. — Julia Rentsch, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland oysters are having a bad year, and here’s why," 18 Aug. 2019 Blending into the background The backdrop — a wall conveying the ship’s plundering past — is engulfed in bones, pearls and fragments of gold, which were blended to create a subtly unsettling melange. — Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, "Take an inside look at how Signature Theatre’s ‘Blackbeard’ got its ship together," 26 June 2019 The new record features a Ritalin-addled melange of vibes that often feel like Rihanna leftovers. — Jonny Coleman, The Hollywood Reporter, "Critic's Notebook: Madonna's Cringe-Worthy 'Madame X'," 14 June 2019 Berg’s life and even the inscrutable circumstances surrounding his death 49 years ago linger as ongoing mysteries, a melange of fact, myth and opaque clues. — Washington Post, "The strange life and death of Moe Berg, the baseball catcher who became a spy," 7 June 2019 And then there’s the holiday fever dreams of Bon Voyage, a midcentury melange of Asian, African and Palm Springs design replete with tiny animal statues, plants, vintage Hermes wallpaper and a menu filled with tropical cocktails and Chinese food. — Deborah Stoll, SFChronicle.com, "Weekend estate-sale hunting with Trick Dog’s Josh Harris," 5 June 2019 There, the decadent diva in her requires NARS matte lipsticks—in red, bright pink, nude—and a melange of Milk Makeup’s high-pigmented shadows. — Akili King, Vogue, "This Rising Disco Queen’s Beauty Motto Is “the Bigger the Hair, the Better”," 10 Nov. 2018 Across the book's 412 pages, Paul Atreides struggles against the villainous Baron Harkonnen for control of Arrakis, a desert planet with the galaxy's most valuable export—melange. — Maude Campbell, Popular Mechanics, "Everything We Know So Far About Denis Villeneuve's 'Dune'," 14 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mélange.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of mélange

1653, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for mélange

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

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More Definitions for mélange

mélange

noun
How to pronounce mélange (audio) How to pronounce mélange (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of mélange

: a mixture of different things

See the full definition for mélange in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on mélange

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with mélange

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for mélange

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