Word of the Day

: November 24, 2009

macédoine

noun mass-uh-DWAHN

What It Means

1 : a confused mixture : medley

2 : a mixture of fruits or vegetables served as a salad or cocktail or in a jellied dessert or used in a sauce or as a garnish

macédoine in Context

The focal point of the painting is a mesmerizing macédoine of warm colors.

Did You Know?

"Macédoine" is the French name for Macedonia, a region on the Balkan Peninsula that is now part of Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, and Bulgaria. Historically, this area has been home to a richly varied population encompassing many ethnic groups. Etymologists believe that the cultural heterogeneity of the region may have inspired people to use its name as a generic term for any kind of wildly jumbled mixture. English speakers borrowed "macédoine" early in the 19th century. The word took on its more specific "salad" sense later in the century.