hotchpotch

noun

hotch·​potch ˈhäch-ˌpäch How to pronounce hotchpotch (audio)
1
a
: a thick soup or stew of vegetables, potatoes, and usually meat
2

Examples of hotchpotch in a Sentence

Sunday supper was a hotchpotch of leftovers.
Recent Examples on the Web On match days, the squad is a hotchpotch of bright sparks scrambling around to recover an unrecoverable ambiance only 17 seasons of the Argentine’s flair can bring. Henry Flynn, Forbes, 28 Sep. 2021 Rather, members of the country’s single biggest religious group vote along a hotchpotch of social and demographic lines. The Economist, 25 Apr. 2020 In any case, an all-populist coalition could give itself a limited mandate to alter Italy’s hotchpotch of an electoral law, enact a few popular reforms and then go back to the country. The Economist, 27 Mar. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hotchpotch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hochepot, from Anglo-French, from hocher to shake + pot pot

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of hotchpotch was in 1567

Dictionary Entries Near hotchpotch

Cite this Entry

“Hotchpotch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hotchpotch. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hotchpotch

noun
hotch·​potch ˈhäch-ˌpäch How to pronounce hotchpotch (audio)
Etymology

Middle English hochepot "mixed stew," derived from early French hochepot (same meaning), from hocher "to shake" and pot "pot, container" see Word History at hodgepodge

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