different between melange vs patchwork

English

Etymology

From French mélange, from Middle French mélange, meslange, from Old French meslance, meslinges (“set of diverse elements”), derived from mescler (“to mingle, mix up”) (modern French mêler), from Vulgar Latin *miscul?re, from Latin misce? (“mix”) + -inges, a suffix from Frankish *-ingo (“-ing”). More at mix, -ing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m??l?n?/, /m??l???/, /me??l?n?/, /me??l???/

Noun

melange (plural melanges)

1. A mixture of different things; a disordered mixture.

   The room was a melange of comic books and posters.

2. A Viennese coffee speciality, half steamed milk and half coffee.
3. (geology) A large-scale breccia formed in the accretionary wedge over a subductional environment.

Alternative forms

• mélange

Synonyms

• (collection of a variety of things): assortment, farrago, hodgepodge, hotchpotch, mingle-mangle, mishmash, mixture, omnium-gatherum, ragbag
• See also Thesaurus:hodgepodge

Translations

Anagrams

• gleeman

English

Etymology

From patch +? work

Noun

patchwork (countable and uncountable, plural patchworks)

1. A work, such as a blanket, composed of many different colors and shapes, sewn together to make an interesting whole.
2. (figuratively) Any kind of creation that utilizes many different aspects to create one whole piece.

   Bill took all of his poetry and put it together in a folder. It made up a patchwork of his life.

3. (derogatory) A state of regulations whose constituents have an opaque scope of application because of their questionable delimitation with regard to each other.

Related terms

Translations

Verb

patchwork (third-person singular simple present patchworks, present participle patchworking, simple past and past participle patchworked)

1. To create a patchwork from pieces of fabric.
2. To assemble from a variety of sources; to cobble together.

References

• “patchwork”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English patchwork.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pat.?w??k/

Noun

patchwork m (plural patchworks)

1. patchwork

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English patchwork.

Noun

patchwork m (invariable)

1. patchwork (all senses)

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English patchwork.

Noun

patchwork m (plural patchworks)

1. patchwork