Definition of PASTICHE

pastiche

Plural: pastiches

Noun

  • An artistic work composed of elements from various sources or styles.
  • a musical composition consisting of a series of songs or other musical pieces from various sources
  • a work of art that imitates the style of some previous work
  • A work of art, drama, literature, music, or architecture that imitates the work of a previous artist, usually in a positive or neutral way.
  • A musical medley, typically quoting other works.
  • An incongruous mixture; a hodgepodge.
  • A postmodern playwriting technique that fuses a variety of styles, genres, and story lines to create a new form.

Verb

  • To create or compose in a mixture of styles.

Examples

  • Her final Scrabble board was a PASTICHE of high-scoring words and strategic blocks.
  • The house failed to attract a buyer because the decor was a pastiche of Bohemian and Scandinavian styles.
  • This supposed research paper is a pastiche of passages from unrelated sources.

Origin / Etymology

Via French pastiche, from Italian pasticcio (“pie, something blended”), from Vulgar Latin *pastīcius, from Late Latin pasta (“dough, pastry cake, paste”), from Ancient Greek παστά (pastá, “barley porridge”), from παστός (pastós, “sprinkled with salt”). Doublet of pasticcio.

Synonyms

medley, potpourri

Scrabble Score: 15

pastiche: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
pastiche: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
pastiche: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 16

pastiche: valid Words With Friends Word