Potpourri
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A collection of various things; an assortment, mixed bag or motley. countable, uncountable
"A convention of sorts, the evening was an exciting potpourri of education, entertainment and political consciousness."
- 2 a jar of mixed flower petals and spices used as perfume wordnet
- 3 An anthology of miscellaneous prose. countable, uncountable
- 4 a musical composition consisting of a series of songs or other musical pieces from various sources wordnet
- 5 A medley of songs or music. countable, uncountable
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 a collection containing a variety of sorts of things wordnet
- 7 A mixture of dried fragrant plant material, often in a decorative bowl, used to scent a room. countable, uncountable
- 8 A ragout or stew of meat and vegetables. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"This 8th of May of 2025 is sunny warm. In the morning was my 6th walking voyage this spring to the Roman Catholic church on St. Albans Road. I was noticing a big tree which reminded me of the jacaranda tree because of the purple flowers, but it isn't jacaranda. I went to the big worship hall in the church and was noticing the multicoloured stained glass in front. The hall was almost empty. A lady lit a candle. There are Filipinos in this parish. At the smaller Adoration Chapel, 'twas more crowded. (My Uncle Sonny in Los Angeles habitually went to Roman Catholic church every day when he was alive. He was Filipino hybridized with white and black American. But he looked more white in reality.) Homebound, I spent a few minutes at a grove of trees. Sometimes, the trees are the temple that all I need. I'm Syncretic by religion, really, tending towards Buddhism-Animism, but I don't discount other belief systems. It's like potpourri."
Etymology
From French pot-pourri (“stew, potpourri”), a calque of Spanish olla podrida (“stew”, literally “rotten pot”). Doublet of olla podrida.
Related phrases
More for "potpourri"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.