medley

[ med-lee ]

noun

plural medleys.

1. a mixture, especially of heterogeneous elements; hodgepodge; jumble.
2. a piece of music combining tunes or passages from various sources:

   a medley of hit songs from Broadway shows.

adjective

1. Archaic. mixed; mingled.

medley

/ ˈmɛdlɪ /

noun

1. a mixture of various types or elements
2. a musical composition consisting of various tunes arranged as a continuous whole
3. Also calledmedley relay
   1. swimming a race in which a different stroke is used for each length
   2. athletics a relay race in which each leg has a different distance
4. an archaic word for melee

adjective

1. of, being, or relating to a mixture or variety

Word History and Origins

Origin of medley¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English noun and adjective medle(e), medlei(e), maedlai(e) “battle, war, quarrel; mixture, balanced mixture,” from Anglo-French, Old French medlee, mellee, noun and adjective use of feminine of past participle of medler “to mix, fight”; meddle

Word History and Origins

Origin of medley¹

C14: from Old French medlee, from medler to mix, quarrel

Example Sentences

She performed a medley of “Love in Real Life / Still Bad” and “Don’t Make Me Love You.”

From Los Angeles Times

Of course, it’s wonderful in any sort of salad—whether leafy greens, egg salad, a raw vegetable medley or beyond.

From Salon

This season that means a Beyonce medley for the free dance, which includes Halo, which has allowed them to show a more emotional side before the trademark struts to Crazy in Love.

From BBC

We feasted on hearty bowls of soup, silky hummus topped with falafel, a shawarma wrap and a medley of delicious olives.

From Salon

But the show gently yet cleverly pushed back against any detractors, opening with “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande singing a medley of three songs from the “Wizard of Oz” musical universe about persevering.

From Salon