Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A mixture.
  • noun Geology A metamorphic rock formation created from sediments and rocks scraped off the top of a downward-moving tectonic plate in a subduction zone.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A mixture; a medley; usually, an uncombined mingling or association of elements, objects, or individuals; in lit., a miscellany.
  • noun A French dress-goods of cotton chain and woolen weft.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A mixture; a medley.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Alternative form of melange.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a motley assortment of things

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Old French meslance, from mesler, to mix; see meddle.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French mélange, from Middle French mélange, meslange, from Old French meslance, meslinges ("set of diverse elements"), derived from mescler ("to mingle, mix up") (modern French mêler), from Vulgar Latin *misculāre, from Latin misceō ("mix") + -inges, a suffix from Frankish *-ingo (“-ing”). More at mix, -ing.

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Examples

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