mélange

[ mey-lahnzh, -lahnj ]

noun

, plural mé·langes [mey-, lahnzh, -, lahn, -jiz].

1. a mixture; medley.

melange

/ meɪˈlɑːnʒ /

noun

1. a mixture; confusion
2. geology a totally disordered mixture of rocks of different shapes, sizes, ages, and origins

mélange

/ mā-länzh′ /

1. A metamorphic rock formation created from materials scraped off the top of a downward moving tectonic plate in a subduction zone. Mélanges occur where plates of oceanic crust subduct beneath plates of continental crust, as along the western coast of South America. They consist of intensely deformed marine sediments and ocean-floor basalts and are characterized by the lack of regular strata, the inclusion of fragments and blocks of various rock types, and the presence of minerals that form only under high pressure and low temperature conditions.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mélange¹

1645–55; < French; Old French meslance, equivalent to mesl ( er ) to mix ( meddle ) + -ance noun suffix ≪ Germanic -ingō -ing ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of mélange¹

C17: from French mêler to mix. See medley

Example Sentences

Glacial mélange isn’t widespread in the Arctic, and what exists could disappear if temperatures rise too much.

From Science News

Explorations into how matter interacts with biological tissues have yielded coronary stents, artificial skin and hip replacements that include metal mélanges that are tough and nonreactive when they sit against bone.

From Science News

In popular usage now, it refers to a broad mélange of race-related curriculums, claims and anecdotes.

From Washington Post

That mélange of humanity is played by an exciting cast of actors who recorded their parts remotely from disparate spots across the country.

From Washington Blade

That meant replacing a single space-time geometry with a mélange of possible shapes.

From Quanta Magazine

We began with the robin in this, I hope, not wearisome but entertaining Melange of child-songs.

From Project Gutenberg

This father seems to have made a sort of melange of some of the Pentateuchal ordinances.

From Project Gutenberg

Melange, get into the carriage and examine the contents of the sword-case and all the little private recesses.

From Project Gutenberg

The whole thing is a strange melange of official business and dying gossip!

From Project Gutenberg

I have accordingly in the following melange introduced many themes besides political ones.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• assortment
• hodgepodge
• mishmash