macédoine
noun
ma·cé·doine ˌma-sə-ˈdwän 
1
: a confused mixture : medley
2
: a mixture of fruits or vegetables served as a salad or cocktail or in a jellied dessert or used in a sauce or as a garnish
Did you know?
Macédoine is the French name for Macedonia, a region on the Balkan Peninsula that is now part of Greece, the Republic of North Macedonia, and Bulgaria. Historically, this area has been home to a richly varied population encompassing many ethnic groups. Etymologists believe that the cultural heterogeneity of the region may have inspired people to use its name as a generic term for any kind of wildly jumbled mixture. English speakers borrowed "macédoine" early in the 19th century. The word took on its more specific "salad" sense later in the century.
Synonyms
- agglomerate
- agglomeration
- alphabet soup
- assortment
- botch
- clutter
- collage
- crazy quilt
- farrago
- gallimaufry
- grab bag
- gumbo
- hash
- hodgepodge
- hotchpotch
- jambalaya
- jumble
- jungle
- litter
- medley
- mélange
- menagerie
- miscellanea
- miscellany
- mishmash
- mixed bag
- montage
- motley
- muddle
- olio
- olla podrida
- omnium-gatherum
- pastiche
- patchwork
- patchwork quilt
- potpourri
- ragbag
- ragout
- rummage
- salad
- salmagundi
- scramble
- shuffle
- smorgasbord
- stew
- tumble
- variety
- welter
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
a quirky secondhand bookstore with a macédoine of out-of-print titles
Recent Examples on the Web It was surrounded by a classic macedoine of strawberries with basil. 
Polly Campbell, Cincinnati.com, 20 June 2018
Polly Campbell, Cincinnati.com, 20 June 2018 Word History
Etymology
French, from Macédoine Macedonia; perhaps from the mixture of ethnic groups in Macedonia
First Known Use
1820, in the meaning defined at sense 1
macédoines
noun
as in varieties
an unorganized collection or mixture of various things a quirky secondhand bookstore with a macédoine of out-of-print titles Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- varieties
- crazy quilts
- patchwork quilts
- grab bags
- farragoes
- medleys
- jumbles
- ragbags
- alphabet soups
- mixed bags
- ollas podridas
- collages
- jambalayas
- hotchpotches
- mélanges
- salmagundis
- motleys
- olla podridas
- salads
- gallimaufries
- assortments
- ragouts
- jungles
- omnium-gatherums
- litters
- blends
- hodgepodges
- scrambles
- rummages
- shuffles
- gumbos
- agglomerations
- hashes
- miscellanea
- agglomerates
- patchworks
- montages
- clutters
- potpourris
- combinations
- pastiches
- smorgasbords
- mishmashes
- olios
- tumbles
- miscellanies
- menageries
- botches
- stews
- tangles
- commixtures
- notions
- muddles
- welters
- chaoses
- disarrays
- sundries
- aggregates
- detritus
- disarrangements
- compounds
- dog's breakfasts
- odds and ends
- conglomerates
- aggregations
- accumulations
- bollixes
- composites
- snarls
- alloys
- intermixtures
- fusions
- conglomerations
- catchalls
- admixtures
- disorders
- oddments
- amalgams
- imbroglios
- shambles
- morasses
- messes
- confusions
- mix-ups
- knots
