miscellany

[ mis-uh-ley-nee; British mi-sel-uh-nee ]

noun

, plural mis·cel·la·nies.

1. a miscellaneous collection or group of various or somewhat unrelated items.
2. a miscellaneous collection of literary compositions or pieces by several authors, dealing with various topics, assembled in a volume or book.

   Synonyms: anthology

3. miscellanies, a miscellaneous collection of articles or entries, as in a book.

miscellany

/ mɪˈsɛlənɪ; ˈmɪsəˌleɪnɪ /

noun

1. a mixed assortment of items
2. sometimes plural a miscellaneous collection of essays, poems, etc, by different authors in one volume

Word History and Origins

Origin of miscellany¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; Anglicized variant of miscellanea

Word History and Origins

Origin of miscellany¹

C16: from French miscellanées (pl) miscellanea

Example Sentences

Yet this long, obscure miscellany turned out to be a garland of little gems.

From Los Angeles Times

Federica Gigante, a historian at the University of Cambridge, first noticed it in a corner of a photograph while searching online for an image of a 17th-century collector whose miscellany was housed in the museum.

From New York Times

A miscellany of reviews, essays and diary entries first published in the London Review of Books, the collection finds Hitchens pouncing on disparate subjects with transcendent verve.

From Los Angeles Times

Every autumn these publications arrive with their eclectic mix of miscellany and lore.

From Scientific American

The force of it knocked Anya’s armful of miscellany to the ground.

From Literature