Farrago

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /fəˈɹeɪɡoʊ/

Definitions

1. A chaotic mixture consisting of a variety of elements, often unrelated or incongruous
2. An assortment of diverse and unrelated elements combined in a disorderly way
3. A jumbled combination where many different things are mixed without clear order

Etymology: Before it meant a jumble of unrelated things, the Latin "farrago" was a feed for livestock: a mixture of grains, often including wheat and barley, given to cattle and horses. The root is "far," the Latin name for emmer, a coarse wheat that was a staple of ancient Rome and was ground into meal and grits. The sense moved from fodder to clutter because a mixed animal feed is, by nature, a hodgepodge of different grains tossed together. Latin speakers applied the word figuratively to any confused medley of things, and English borrowed it that way, keeping the picture of many unlike ingredients stirred into one heap. Nearby in English is "farro," an Italian term for emmer wheat that has come into modern use for a nutty whole grain. The two words are doublets, separate borrowings from the same Latin root that reached English by different routes.

Synonyms: hodgepodge, mixture, medley, mishmash, jumble

Antonyms: order, arrangement, system, organization, neatness