Definition of potpourri

competent Definition: (adjective) having the skill and knowledge needed for a particular task; capable Petersons.com

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< potpie

pot roast >

pot·pour·ri    (pp-r) KEY  

NOUN:
pl. pot·pour·ris

1. A combination of incongruous things: "In the minds of many, the real and imagined causes for Russia's defeats quickly mingled into a potpourri of terrible fears" (W. Bruce Lincoln).
2. A miscellaneous anthology or collection: a potpourri of short stories and humorous verse.
3. A mixture of dried flower petals and spices used to scent the air.

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ETYMOLOGY:
French pot pourri (translation of Spanish olla podrida) : pot, pot ; see potiche + pourri, past participle of pourrir, to rot (from Old French purir, from Vulgar Latin *putrre, from Latin putrscere; see putrid )

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