Smorgasbord / noun / smor·​gas·​bord

The word smorgasbord is a noun that refers to an assortment or selection of many different items. Typically, the word is used regarding food displays. The word smorgasbord is derived from the Swedish word "smörgåsbord," which means "a large table filled with food "and is pronounced "smuh-gahs-BORD." In addition, smorgasbord is used to refer to a mixture or a wide variety of different things.

In a Sentence

They did not prepare the cruise ship guest for the smorgasbord of food that was available on the ship twenty-four hours a day.

The smorgasbord of evidence his client left behind for the police and the detectives to find appalled the lawyer.

The seafood buffet at the restaurant had a smorgasbord of fresh shrimp, fish, crabs, and lobster for seafood lovers to choose from.

Etymology

The Swedish word "smörgåsbord" is derived from the Old Norse word "smorgaskið," which means "a large dish of food." The word smorgasbord is pronounced, "smuh-gahs-KEE." Smorgasbord was first documented in English in 1771 when the diarist Samuel Pepys used it to describe a feast he attended at the home of John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester. It became popular in English almost a hundred years later, in 1873.

Synonym

Collage, Alphabet Soup