medleys

Medleys is a term used in music, sports, and food to describe a mixture or compilation of several components presented as a unified whole. The word comes from the French mêlée (from mêler), meaning to mix or mingle. In English, medley is used for both a collection of separate pieces and a dish that combines several ingredients.

In music, a medley is a piece that stitches together excerpts from two or more songs, tunes, or themes into a single continuous performance. Transitions link the sections, often preserving original keys or tempos or using common keys to create a coherent flow. Medleys are common in live concerts, film or television scores, and variety shows, and they can function as a formal composition or as a promotional or encore piece. They differ from a seamless arrangement of a single work or a set of independent tracks, in that a medley merges distinct sources into one overarching mosaic.

In competitive swimming, medley refers to events that combine multiple strokes. The individual medley (IM) features four consecutive strokes—butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle—swimming distances such as 200 or 400 meters. The medley relay consists of four swimmers performing backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle in that order. Other sports may use the term to indicate a mixed or multi-discipline event.

In cooking and dining, a medley describes a dish that blends several ingredients, such as a vegetable medley or fruit medley, often prepared and served together. The term can also refer more broadly to any assorted collection, such as a medley of songs, flavors, or performances.