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Synonyms

mélange

American  
[mey-lahnzh, -lahnj] / meɪˈlɑ̃ʒ, -ˈlɑndʒ /

noun

plural

mélanges

  1. a mixture; medley.

melange British  
/ meɪˈlɑːnʒ /

noun

  1. a mixture; confusion

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
mélange Scientific  
/ 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.

Usage

What does mélange mean? A mélange is a mixture or medley, especially of a wide range or variety of items.It is sometimes spelled without the accent mark, as melange.In geology, it is used in a more specific way to refer to a disordered mixture of rocks of different shapes, sizes, ages, and origins. Such a mixture occurs due to the movement of tectonic plates.Another specific use of mélange refers to a type of fabric made with different colored threads.Example: The documentary is a mélange of video clips, still photos, interviews, and animated sequences.

Etymology

Origin of mélange

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Teams are a mélange of locals and expats — some with college and minor league experience.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 6, 2024

A mélange of different ethnic identities, languages, religions, castes, and customs makes up the 1.5 billion humans who live here.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 3, 2024

Renner takes to a larger moviemaking scale like a duck to water: “Migration’s” mélange tastes accessible enough, but his ingredients give it a soupçon of distinctive flavor.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2023

It’s a mélange of the miraculous and the despairing.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2023

It smelled dirtier every day, a wretched mélange of fish and mud and chemicals.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.