congeries

[ kon-jeer-eez, kon-juh-reez ]

noun

, (used with a singular or plural verb)

1. a collection of items or parts in one mass; assemblage; aggregation, heap:

   From the airplane the town resembled a congeries of tiny boxes.

congeries

/ kɒnˈdʒɪəriːz /

noun

1. functioning as singular or plural a collection of objects or ideas; mass; heap

Word History and Origins

Origin of congeries¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin: “a heap, pile, collection,” equivalent to conger- (stem of congerere “to collect, heap up,” equivalent to con-, combining form + gerere “to bear, carry”) + -iēs abstract noun suffix; con-

Word History and Origins

Origin of congeries¹

C17: from Latin, from congerere to pile up, from gerere to carry

Example Sentences

My own are his pansy collages, tightly packed, edge-to-edge congeries of overlapping floral faces that give off a bright radiance as well as well as a sense of menacing, staring eyes.

From New York Times

A novel loosely holding together distinct histories and temporalities effectively dramatizes a society that is a congeries of ancient and new, old lore and tradition bumping up against thoroughly modern ambitions and expertise.

From The New Yorker

Does that justify corporate managers spending ever-shifting congeries of their shareholders’ money, without consulting them, on political campaign contributions and ads to sway citizens’ decisions about which officials should regulate the corporations themselves?

From Salon

The sixties may be just another decade, but The Sixties are something more – a mood, a state of mind, a way of life, a congeries of sounds and images.

From The Guardian

The first, titled “The Book,” describes a strange bookshop, a “congeries/ Of crumbling elder lore.”

From Washington Post