What does potpourri mean?
Potpourri originally means a fragrant mixture of dried flowers, leaves, spices, or similar materials placed in a bowl or container so that their scent disperses through a room. The word is also used figuratively for a varied assortment of people, objects, ideas, artistic styles, or influences: a festival programme might be described as a potpourri of music, comedy, and poetry. In this broader sense, the word suggests variety and eclecticism rather than a random or confused mixture. Its unusual history comes from the French expression pot pourri, literally “rotten pot,” a cooking metaphor for ingredients combined together. The modern sensory sense developed from the idea of blending fragrant materials, while the figurative sense reflects the same idea of combining unlike elements. Potpourri is especially useful when describing a collection whose diversity is appealing, colourful, or intentionally unpredictable.
nounA mixture of dried flowers, leaves, spices, or other fragrant materials, usually kept in a container to release a pleasant scent; by extension, a varied collection or mixture of things.
- A mixture of dried flowers, leaves, spices, or other fragrant materials that releases a pleasant scent.
- A varied mixture or assortment of people, things, ideas, styles, or influences.
"She placed a bowl of potpourri beside the window to give the room a delicate fragrance."
"The guest room was decorated with candles, soft music, and a small dish of potpourri."
"The exhibition was a rich potpourri of photography, sculpture, and handwritten poetry."
The standard plural is potpourris, though potpourri is sometimes used as an uncountable noun for a scented mixture.
"The shop sells several seasonal potpourris in glass jars."
The name comes from French for a “rotten pot”: its original meaning was a mixture cooked together, before the word came to suggest fragrant blends and eclectic collections.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does potpourri come from?
The word comes from French pot pourri, literally “rotten pot,” an expression associated with a stew in which ingredients are boiled together. In English, it developed a specialized sense for a fragrant mixture of dried flowers, spices, and similar materials. Its figurative use for an eclectic mixture or collection follows the original metaphor of several different ingredients being combined.
How potpourri is actually used
The original sense refers to a fragrant mixture, while the figurative sense suggests a deliberately varied collection. In figurative use, “potpourri of” is common and often has a positive or descriptive tone rather than the negative suggestion of disorder associated with “hotchpotch.”