Meanings
plural olios
- countablefigurativelyuncountableA medley or mixture; a hotchpotch.
The late Refinements in Knowledge, running parallel to thoſe of Dyet in our Nation, which among Men of a judicious Taſte, are dreſt up in various Compounds, conſiſting in Soups and Ollios, Fricaſſées and Ragouſts.
1704, [Jonathan Swift], “Section VII. A Digression in Praise of Digressions.”, in A Tale of a Tub. […], London: […] John Nutt, […], →OCLC, page 136Synonyms: mishmash, oddments, bouillabaisse, bric-a-brac, catch-all, clamjamfrey, cocktail, rummage
- countablefigurativelyuncountableA collection of various musical, theatrical or other artistic works; a miscellany.
- broadlycountablefigurativelyuncountableVaudeville or similar miscellaneous musical or theatrical entertainment skits presented between the main acts of burlesque or minstrel shows.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA medley or mixture; a hotchpotch.
Origin
- Latinolla“pot, jar”
- Portugueseolha
- Spanisholla
- Englisholio
From Spanish olla or Portuguese olha, both from Latin olla (“pot, jar”).
More words from Spanish, Portuguese, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian сме́сица, сби́рщина
- сме́сица (smésica)medley
- сби́рщина (sbírština)medley
- тюрлю̀гюве́ч (tjurljùgjuvéč)medley
- ма́нджа с гро́зде (mándža s grózde)medley
- булама́ч (bulamáč)medley
Czech směs, mišmaš
- směsmedley
- mišmašmedley
Dutch diversen
- diversenmedley
Polish mieszanina, mieszanka
- mieszaninamedley
- mieszankamedley
- miksmedley
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
olio. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/olio
“olio.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/olio. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “olio,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/olio.
Source: olio on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.