What is a POTPOURRI? (Learn with 4 Illustrated Sentence Examples)

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What is a POTPOURRI? (Learn Two Meanings)

In this video, we answer the question, What is a POTPOURRI? Through illustrated sentence examples you will learn various ways to use this word in different contexts. Take a moment to look at the picture, and the listen carefully as the sentence example is read.

Here is a transcript of the video.

Slide 1:
Hello, I’m David James.

Slide 2:
Above all, would you like to . . .

• IMPROVE your ENGLISH?
• Build a POWERFUL VOCABULARY?
• Speak English with REAL CONFIDENCE?

If that’s the case, I can help you. Therefore, go right now to:
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Now let’s continue,

Slide 3:
What is a potpourri?

The Definition of Potpourri

Slide 4:
To clarify, here’s the specific definition: A scented mixture of dried flower petals, leaves and spices, often put in a bowl, to create a pleasant smell in a room.

Slide 5:
In addition, the general definition is: A collection of different items, often unrelated.

Slide 6:
Potpourri comes from French, where it is written as two words, pot pourri, describing mixed meats in a stew.

Slide 7:
Most importantly, here is a quick word about the pronunciation of potpourri.
You will hear it pronounced in various ways. The ‘t’ is often silent.
Further, the common British pronunciation is poh PUR ee, with a silent ‘t’ and the stress on the second syllable.
With that in mind, let’s look at some examples . . .

2 Examples for the first definition

Slide 8:
Firstly, we see earthenware pots in a Moroccan bazaar filled with potpourri.
Sentence example:
We stopped by this shop in Morocco and bought some wonderful potpourri to put in our bathroom at home.

Slide 9:
In other words, when visiting Morocco, we stopped in the bazaar and bought some potpourri for our bathroom at home to give it a nice smell.

Slide 10:
Secondly, in the next photograph, we see a porcelain bowl containing blue potpourri.
This sentence example reads:
The colours of the potpourri nicely complemented the beautiful colours in the bowl.

Slide 11:
In other words, the blue colours in the potpourri coordinated well with the blue colours in the bowl.

A Different Context

Slide 12:
However, in the next examples, potpourri refers to a collection of seemingly unrelated items . . .
As you see each example, ask yourself the question: what is a potpourri in this context?

Slide 13:
The picture shows the entrance of an office building with the company name amazon.com above the door.
This sentence example reads:
Although Amazon.com started out in 1994 as an online bookstore, it now sells a potpourri of millions of items.

Slide 14:
To clarify, Amazon.com started as an online bookstore in 1994. However, it now offers a huge range of diverse products.

Slide 15:
In the final picture there is a screenshot of the home page of the web site coursera.org.
The example reads:
Coursera.org is a very popular website which offers a potpourri of online courses, some of them free!

Slide 16:
That is to say, Coursera.org offers a large number of courses, including some free ones, on a wide variety of subjects.

To Summarize

Slide 17:
To sum up, the French expression Pot Pourri can be very useful in English. In addition to meaning a scented mixture of dried flowers, leaves and spices for your home, you can also use potpourri to describe a collection of different items, often unrelated.

Slide 18:
This is David James helping you to speak English with Confidence. Be sure to signup for my free online course!
Go to goodenglish.online right now!

In conclusion, now you know what POTPOURRI means, look for opportunities to use it, both literally and figuratively, in your English conversation.
If you are interested in other language words that have come into English, be sure to check “What Does MODUS OPERANDI Mean?”

Image Credits:

Slide 8: Creative Commons | No change https://flic.kr/p/8WHAPZ

Slide 10: Creative Commons | No change https://flic.kr/p/aePVrc

Slide 13: Creative Commons | No change https://flic.kr/p/4sdUe4

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode