mélange

American  

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

noun

plural

mélanges

1. a mixture; medley.

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melange British  

/ meɪˈlɑːnʒ /

noun

1. a mixture; confusion

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

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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.

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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

Instead of the “let’s put on a show!’ approach of the previous five Christmas singles, 1968’s single was pieced together from recordings made by each Beatle on their own and handed over to friend Kenny Everett, a BBC DJ who then compiled them into this glorious melange.

From Salon

For Lepore, the Constitution is a blueprint of a cathedral, one that has morphed since its inception, rather like New York’s unfinished St. John the Divine with its mélange of architectural styles.

From Los Angeles Times

These wave-cut cliffs, a brittle mélange of ancient claystone and shale, have been eroding on average about a foot a year, exacerbated since the 1980s by a hardened shoreline, intensifying El Niños and, now, sea level rise.

From Los Angeles Times

Thanks to a melange of practical effects, matte paintings, miniatures, models and costly, groundbreaking special effects, Donner achieved a superhero movie that looks unlike anything made in the decades since.

From Salon

One software forensics expert who took up the challenge soon determined that the “evidence” was a mélange of random IP addresses, gibberish, files that had been modified long after the election, and so-called packet captures of vote heists that didn’t fit any known packet-capture format.

From Slate

Related Words

• assortment
• hodgepodge
• mishmash