medley

[med-lee]

noun

plural

medleys 

1. a mixture, especially of heterogeneous elements; hodgepodge; jumble.

2. a piece of music combining tunes or passages from various sources.

   a medley of hit songs from Broadway shows.

adjective

1. Archaic.,  mixed; mingled.

medley

/ ˈmɛdlɪ /

noun

1. a mixture of various types or elements

2. a musical composition consisting of various tunes arranged as a continuous whole

3. Also called: medley relay. 

   1. swimming a race in which a different stroke is used for each length

   2. athletics a relay race in which each leg has a different distance

4. an archaic word for melee

adjective

1. of, being, or relating to a mixture or variety

Word History and Origins

Origin of medley¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English noun and adjective medle(e), medlei(e), maedlai(e) “battle, war, quarrel; mixture, balanced mixture,” from Anglo-French, Old French medlee, mellee, noun and adjective use of feminine of past participle of medler “to mix, fight”; meddle

Word History and Origins

Origin of medley¹

C14: from Old French medlee, from medler to mix, quarrel

Example Sentences

They also feature a beautiful medley of herbs, namely parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

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They’re brimming with juice, a delicious medley of sweet, fragrant and mildly tart flavors.

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The pair performed a colorful medley at the show with scantily clad body builders.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Yu, who turned 13 in October, swam an impressive 2:07:41 to claim gold in the women's 200 metre individual medley on Tuesday.

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The medley has an infectiously optimistic spirit and a soaring melody.

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