potpourri

C1 Topic:House & Home

Also spelled pot-pourri

US /ˌpoʊ.pʊˈriː/ UK /ˌpəʊ.pəˈriː/ See IPA manual

Freq #39267

Meanings

1

noun
a fragrant mixture of dried flower petals, herbs, and spices used to scent a room

A bowl of rose and lavender potpourri stood beside the fireplace.
2

noun
a varied and sometimes miscellaneous collection or mixture

The exhibition was a potpourri of paintings, costumes, letters, and photographs.
3

noun
a musical work made from melodies or passages drawn from several other works

The orchestra closed with a potpourri of melodies from the composer's operas.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a fragrant mixture of dried... scented mixturearomatic blend

2 noun · a varied and sometimes... assortment medley mixture

3 noun · a musical work made from... medleymusical selection

Opposites

uniformity

Word family

Related forms pasticheolla podridaperfume

Etymology

Borrowed from French pot-pourri, literally 'rotten pot,' itself a translation of Spanish olla podrida, the name of a mixed stew. French transferred the name to jars of fermenting flower petals and spices; English then extended it to any varied mixture and to musical medleys.

Topics

House & Home

External links

# potpourri

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌpoʊ.pʊˈriː/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌpəʊ.pəˈriː/
**Frequency rank:** 39267

## Meanings
1. a fragrant mixture of dried flower petals, herbs, and spices used to scent a room
2. a varied and sometimes miscellaneous collection or mixture
3. a musical work made from melodies or passages drawn from several other works

## Examples
- A bowl of rose and lavender potpourri stood beside the fireplace.
- The exhibition was a potpourri of paintings, costumes, letters, and photographs.
- The orchestra closed with a potpourri of melodies from the composer's operas.

## Synonyms
- assortment
- medley
- mixture
- aromatic blend

## Antonyms
- uniformity

## Related Forms
- pastiche
- olla podrida
- perfume

## Etymology
Borrowed from French pot-pourri, literally 'rotten pot,' itself a translation of Spanish olla podrida, the name of a mixed stew. French transferred the name to jars of fermenting flower petals and spices; English then extended it to any varied mixture and to musical medleys.

## Topics
- House & Home

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