Concoctions

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A mixture or blend of various ingredients prepared for consumption or use
2. an inventive combination created to form something new, often with unusual elements
3. the act of creating something by combining different substances or ideas in a unique manner

Etymology: "Concoctions" is the plural of "concoction," which comes from Latin "concoctio," a noun built from "concoquere," meaning "to cook together" or "to boil down." The Latin prefix "con-" means "together," and "coquere" means "to cook," so the original sense was literal cooking: mixing ingredients and heating them until they blended. Over time, that image of food being combined in a pot widened to cover any mixture of unlike parts. The word's core idea, then, is still a blend made by combining distinct things. English speakers used it for medicinal brews and food preparations long before it described clever inventions or unusual combinations of ideas, and the plural form is most often used for the latter. The plural simply counts several such mixtures at once.

Synonyms: mixtures, blends