potpourri

[ poh-poo-ree, poh-poo-ree ]

/ ˌpoʊ pʊˈri, ˈpoʊ pʊˌri /

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noun

a mixture of dried petals of roses or other flowers with spices, kept in a jar for their fragrance.

a musical medley.

a collection of miscellaneous literary extracts.

any mixture, especially of unrelated objects, subjects, etc.

OTHER WORDS FOR potpourri

4 melange, pastiche, hodgepodge, mishmash, patchwork.

See synonyms for potpourri on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of potpourri

1605–15; <French: literally, rotten pot, translation of Spanish olla podridaolla podrida; see pot¹, putrid

Words nearby potpourri

potoo, potoroo, Potosí, potpie, pot plant, potpourri, pot roast, Potsdam, potsherd, potshot, pot spinning

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use potpourri in a sentence

Research suggests that although there may be a genetic component, resilience is a function of a potpourri of factors, not a must-have gene, trait or cultural determinant.
Six ways to stay balanced during the climate crisis|Ariella Cook-Shonkoff, Neelu Tummala|April 7, 2021|Washington Post
The team’s spark of insight came when they realized that after three weeks, the cells began to branch out into a potpourri of three different cell types found in early human embryos—something rarely seen before.
Scientists Created an Artificial Early Embryo From Human Skin Cells|Shelly Fan|March 23, 2021|Singularity Hub
If that seems a cultural potpourri, that would be the point.
Inside North America’s First Islamic Art Museum|Shinan Govani|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He thought he detected a pleasant smell of herbs, like the potpourri his mother had in bowls in their house.
Mr. Wicker's Window|Carley Dawson

Betty knows how to make that potpourri that Lloyd's Grandmother Amanthis always kept in the rose-jars in the drawing-room.
The Little Colonel: Maid of Honor|Annie Fellows Johnston
It held garnered with loving faith the memories of another day, as a bowl of potpourri still holds the sun of long dead summers.
The Nest Builder|Beatrice Forbes-Robertson Hale
The opera is a grand potpourri of waltz and polka motives and fresh, bright melodies.
The Standard Light Operas|George Upton
And the rose he married comes to him a shrivelled leaf of a potpourri heap.
The Amazing Marriage, Complete|George Meredith

British Dictionary definitions for potpourri

potpourri

/ (ˌpəʊˈpʊərɪ) /

noun plural -ris

a collection of mixed flower petals dried and preserved in a pot to scent the air

a collection of unrelated or disparate items; miscellany

a medley of popular tunes

a stew of meat and vegetables

Word Origin for potpourri

C18: from French, literally: rotten pot, translation of Spanish olla podrida miscellany

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

potpourri

OTHER WORDS FOR potpourri

Origin of potpourri

Words nearby potpourri

Words related to potpourri

How to use potpourri in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for potpourri

Word Origin for potpourri