congeries

American  

[kon-jeer-eez, kon-juh-reez] / kɒnˈdʒɪər iz, ˈkɒn dʒə riz /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. a collection of items or parts in one mass; assemblage; aggregation, heap.

   From the airplane the town resembled a congeries of tiny boxes.

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congeries British  

/ kɒnˈdʒɪəriːz /

noun

1. (functioning as singular or plural) a collection of objects or ideas; mass; heap

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Etymology

Origin of congeries

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin: “a heap, pile, collection,” equivalent to conger- (stem of congerere “to collect, heap up,” equivalent to con-, combining form + gerere “to bear, carry”) + -iēs abstract noun suffix; con-

Example Sentences

My own are his pansy collages, tightly packed, edge-to-edge congeries of overlapping floral faces that give off a bright radiance as well as well as a sense of menacing, staring eyes.

From New York Times • Nov. 16, 2022

The sixties may be just another decade, but The Sixties are something more – a mood, a state of mind, a way of life, a congeries of sounds and images.

From The Guardian • Apr. 15, 2018

Though Spencer came up with the term, it has come to define a broader congeries of reaction.

From Slate • Aug. 25, 2016

Twitter became a weird congeries of protest updates and jokes about Smee.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 5, 2014

Lord Mayo keenly realised the evils from which K�thi�w�r was suffering; but he also clearly perceived the futility of attempting to rush reforms upon the loose congeries of 187 chiefdoms that made up the Province.

From The Earl of Mayo Rulers of India by Hunter, William Wilson