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DictionarymelangeVaried mixture
noun

melange

may-LAHNZH/meɪˈlɑːnʒ/

A mixture of varied elements.

The bowl holds a colorful melange of buttons, shells, beads, and stones.

An open bowl contains a visibly varied mixture of colorful buttons, shells, beads and small stones.
Etymology
melangeFrenchmixture, medley

French mélange names a mingling or medley. The English sense preserves that image: different things gathered together, often without blending into a uniform whole.

In context

SOAS University of London29:03
in other parts it reads more like prose it's actually kind of a melange between poetry and and fiction
Women, Writing and the Iraqi Ba'thist State: Contending Discourses of Resistance and Collaboration

More examples

  • Her apartment is a melange of modern furniture and antique decorations.
  • A melange of voices and car horns drifts through the window.
  • The book contains a melange of essays, poems, and personal letters.

Forms

melange · melanges

Similar words

mixture
A broader, more everyday term that need not emphasize variety.
medley
Often suggests varied items presented together, especially songs or foods.