salmagundi

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌsal.məˈɡʌn.di/ (UK); /ˌsæl.məˈɡʌn.di/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French salmigondis,^[2][3][4][5] originally “seasoned salt meats”,^[3][4] from Middle French salmigondin,^[3][4][6] of uncertain origin.^[3][4] It is probably based on Old French salemine “salted food” or “hodgepodge cooked in wine”^[2][3][4][6] and condir “to season”, from Latin condīre.^[2][4][6] It is related to salami and condiment.^[2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A dish of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs and onions with oil and seasoning (1674).^[3][4][5][7]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense, a mixture of various ingredients, a miscellany, is from 1761.^[4][7] Washington Irving used Salmagundi as the title of a satirical publication in 1807–08.^[4] In dialect the word became salmon-gundy or solomon-gundy.^[4]

Timeline

• early 14th century – salomene, a hodgepodge cooked in wine.^[4][3]
• 1674 – the dish.^[3][4][5][7]
• 1761 – a mixture or miscellany.^[4][7]
• 1807–08 – Washington Irving's Salmagundi.^[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A salad of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs and onions, often arranged in rows and dressed with oil and vinegar.
2. A mixture or assortment; a potpourri or miscellany.

Related words

• salami
• condiment
• salmi
• potpourri

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press