olio

O1L1I1O1
UK/ˈəʊliəʊ/US/ˈoʊlioʊ/

noun

A rich, thick, Spanish stew consisting of meat and vegetables.

UncommonScrabble 4

Meanings

nounolio (countable and uncountable, plural olios)

plural olios

  1. countableuncountableA rich, thick, Spanish stew consisting of meat and vegetables.
  2. 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 136

    Synonyms: mishmash, oddments, bouillabaisse, bric-a-brac, catch-all, clamjamfrey, cocktail, rummage

  3. countablefigurativelyuncountableA collection of various musical, theatrical or other artistic works; a miscellany.
  4. broadlycountablefigurativelyuncountableVaudeville or similar miscellaneous musical or theatrical entertainment skits presented between the main acts of burlesque or minstrel shows.

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

  1. Latinolla“pot, jar”
  2. Portugueseolha
  3. Spanisholla
  4. Englisholio

From Spanish olla or Portuguese olha, both from Latin olla (“pot, jar”).

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
APA

olio. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/olio

MLA

“olio.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/olio. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “olio,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/olio.

Source: olio on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.