mix·ture (m ks ch r)n. 1. a. The act or process of mixing: an alloy made from the mixture of two metals. b. The condition of being mixed: the inevitable mixtures of urban neighborhoods. 2. Something produced by mixing. 3. One that consists of diverse elements: The day was a mixture of sun and clouds. 4. A fabric made of different kinds of thread or yarn. 5. Chemistry A composition of two or more substances that are not chemically combined with each other and are capable of being separated. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin mixt  ra, from mixtus, past participle of misc re, to mix; see meik- in Indo-European roots.]Synonyms: mixture, blend, amalgam, admixture, compound1, composite These nouns refer to a combination produced by mixing. Mixture has the widest application: She routinely drank a mixture of tea and honey. "He showed a curious mixture of eagerness and terror" (Francis Parkman). Blend and amalgam imply that the original components have lost their distinctness: The novel is a fascinating blend of romance and realism. The comedian's act was an amalgam of incisive wit and unceasing good humor. Admixture suggests that one of the components is dissimilar to the others: a perfume containing an essential oil with a large admixture of alcohol. A compound constitutes a new and independent entity: The school's program is a compound of scholarship and athleticism. A composite has components that may retain part of their identities: a musical suite that is a composite of operatic themes. |
mixture [ˈmɪkstʃə]
| mixture (mkschr) A composition of two or more substances that are not chemically combined with each other and are capable of being separated. |
Mixture
(See also AMALGAMATION.)
cabbages and kings Anything and everything; odds and ends; assorted and diverse topics, items, etc. The expression comes from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass (1871):
“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes—and ships—and
sealing-wax—
Of cabbages—and kings—
And why the sea is boiling hot—
And whether pigs have wings.”
hodgepodge A heterogeneous mixture, a jumble, a farrago, a gallimaufry, a potpourri. This term is a corruption of the earlier hotchpotch, which in turn is a corruption of hotchpot, from the French hochepot (hocher ‘to shake, to shake together’ + pot ‘pot’), a cookery term for a dish containing a mixture of many ingredients, especially a mutton and vegetable stew. Hodge-podge itself was used figuratively as early as the 15th century.
They have made our English tongue a gallimaufry or hodgepodge of all other speeches. (E. K., Epistle Dedicatory and Glosses to Spenser’s Shepherds Calendar, 1579)
mishmash A jumble, hodgepodge, or potpourri; a confused mess. Mash alone means ‘confused mixture,’ suggesting that mishmash may have originated as alliterative wordplay. It has also been suggested that mishmash comes from the Danish mischmasch. Still current, the term and its variants mishmosh and mishmush have been in print since the 16th century.
The original Panorama had consisted of a mishmash of disconnected and frequently frivolous items. (Listener, October 30, 1975)
potluck Leftovers, odds and ends; potpourri, hodgepodge; an entity of uncertain composition. This expression is derived from, and still most commonly refers to, leftover food that has been placed in a pot, usually over a period of several days, and then served as a meal at a later date. The rationale for luck is that one takes his chances, that is, does not know what food to expect, when he is invited to partake of a potluck dinner. By extension, potluck can refer to any conglomeration from which a person makes a blind or indiscriminate selection.
[He] took the same kind of pot-luck company in those days when he was not so shy of London. (Madame D’Arblay, The Early Diary of Frances Burney, 1775)
threads and thrums Odds and ends, scraps, fragments; a hodgepodge, a mishmash. Thrums are the unwoven portions of warp yarn which remain attached to the loom when the web is cut off, useless fragments of knotted threads.
The confused and ravelled mass of threads and thrums, ycleped Memoires. (Thomas Carlyle, “Diderot,” Miscellaneous Essays, 1833)
See also thread and thrum, TOTALITY.
| Noun | 1. |  mixture - (chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding)substance - the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists; "DNA is the substance of our genes" chemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions alloy, metal - a mixture containing two or more metallic elements or metallic and nonmetallic elements usually fused together or dissolving into each other when molten; "brass is an alloy of zinc and copper" colloid - a mixture with properties between those of a solution and fine suspension composition - a mixture of ingredients mechanical mixture - a mixture whose components can be separated by mechanical means eutectic - a mixture of substances having a minimum melting point solution - a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances; frequently (but not necessarily) a liquid solution; "he used a solution of peroxide and water" suspension - a mixture in which fine particles are suspended in a fluid where they are supported by buoyancy freezing mixture - a mixture of substances (usually salt and ice) to obtain a temperature below the freezing point of water Greek fire - a mixture used by Byzantine Greeks that was often shot at adversaries; catches fire when wetted gummite - a gummy orange mixture of uranium oxides and silicates occurring naturally in the hydration and oxidation of pitchblende lamellar mixture - a mixture in which substances occur in distinct layers matte - a mixture of sulfides that forms when sulfide metal ores are smelted oxyacetylene - a mixture of oxygen and acetylene; used to create high temperatures for cutting or welding metals mineral jelly, petrolatum, petroleum jelly - a semisolid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum; used in medicinal ointments and for lubrication plaster - a mixture of lime or gypsum with sand and water; hardens into a smooth solid; used to cover walls and ceilings soda lime - a mixture of sodium and calcium hydroxides; absorbs liquids and gases |
| 2. |  mixture - any foodstuff made by combining different ingredients; "he volunteered to taste her latest concoction"; "he drank a mixture of beer and lemonade"food product, foodstuff - a substance that can be used or prepared for use as food mincemeat - spiced mixture of chopped raisins and apples and other ingredients with or without meat roux - a mixture of fat and flour heated and used as a basis for sauces batter - a liquid or semiliquid mixture, as of flour, eggs, and milk, used in cooking dough - a flour mixture stiff enough to knead or roll filling - a food mixture used to fill pastry or sandwiches etc. | |
| 3. |  mixture - a collection containing a variety of sorts of things; "a great assortment of cars was on display"; "he had a variety of disorders"; "a veritable smorgasbord of religions"aggregation, collection, accumulation, assemblage - several things grouped together or considered as a whole grab bag - an assortment of miscellaneous items witch's brew, witches' brew, witches' broth - a fearsome mixture; "a witches' brew of gangsters and terrorists"; "mixing dope and alcohol creates a witches' brew" range - a variety of different things or activities; "he answered a range of questions"; "he was impressed by the range and diversity of the collection" selection - an assortment of things from which a choice can be made; "the store carried a large selection of shoes" farrago, gallimaufry, hodgepodge, hotchpotch, melange, mingle-mangle, mishmash, oddments, odds and ends, omnium-gatherum, ragbag - a motley assortment of things alphabet soup - a confusing assortment; "Roosevelt created an alphabet soup of federal agencies" sampler - an assortment of various samples; "a candy sampler"; "a sampler of French poets" | |
| 4. | mixture - an event that combines things in a mixture; "a gradual mixture of cultures" concoction - an occurrence of an unusual mixture; "it suddenly spewed out a thick green concoction" blend - an occurrence of thorough mixing | |
| 5. |  mixture - the act of mixing together; "paste made by a mix of flour and water"; "the mixing of sound channels in the recording studio" |
mixture
the mixture as before → la misma receta que antes (fig) → lo de siempre
see also cough C
mix-up [ˈmɪksʌp] n (= mistake) → erreur f
due to an administrative mix-up → à la suite d'une erreur administrative
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