Salmagundis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A collection of diverse items or elements combined into a single assortment
2. A medley or hodgepodge that includes various distinct components or aspects
3. An eclectic mixture or assemblage of different types of things brought together in one context

Etymology: The word is the plural of "salmagundi," and the form readers meet most often is the plural. Its roots lie in a French dish of seasoned salt meats. French "salmigondis" meant exactly that, and the term passed into English as a name for a mixed-up dish before it came to mean any jumble. The French word is generally traced to Middle French "salmigondin," which is probably connected to "salomene," a hodgepodge of meats or fish cooked in wine. That in turn goes back to Old French "salemine," a salted meat. So the word began as a kitchen term for a stew built from whatever was on hand, and the core idea of mixing many unrelated ingredients was there from the start. Over time the culinary sense loosened into a general one: a medley of many different things, ideas or parts thrown together. The plural form, "salmagundis," is the one usually used for a collection of such odds and ends, as in a mixed assortment of essays, songs or memories.