potpourri
noun
Current Biography
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Some people delight in the scent of potpourri, and others find it cloying. Happily, this word manages to contain elements which will make each of these groups feel that their preferences are linguistically supported. Potpourri is used today to refer literally to a fragrant mixture of flowers, herbs, etc., and figuratively to a miscellaneous collection, or medley, of things. But potpourri first referred to a kind of stew of meat and vegetables, usually including sausage and chickpeas. It was borrowed from French, where pot pourri translates directly as “putrid pot”; the French word was a translation of the Spanish olla podrida, which likewise means “rotten pot.” We don't know why both the Spanish and the French gave their stews such unappetizing names, although it has been suggested that the Spanish method of slowly cooking this dish over a fire may have had something to do with it. Regardless, after referring solely to stew for its first hundred and some-odd years, potpourri began to be used for an aromatic blend of dried flowers in the middle of the 18th century, and within the next hundred years was being applied to mixtures and collections of all kinds of things.
Examples of potpourri in a Sentence
Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
The nose features the spice and herbal notes characteristic of rye whiskeys, with pine, mint, and eucalyptus notes followed by citrus zest, floral potpourri, and herbal aromas.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Celebrity attendance was a potpourri of wrestling fans and head-scratchers.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The palate features flavors of strawberry, ripe pink grapefruit, and potpourri.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Potpourri.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potpourri. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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potpourri
noun
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