patch·work

[pach-wurk]
noun
1.
something made up of an incongruous variety of pieces or parts; hodgepodge: a patchwork of verse forms.
2.
work made of pieces of cloth or leather of various colors or shapes sewed together, used especially for covering quilts, cushions, etc.
adjective
3.
resembling a patchwork, especially in being makeshift, irregular, or improvised: a patchwork policy of dispensing foreign aid.
verb (used with object)
4.
to make as patchwork: She specializes in patchworking skirts.
5.
to assemble or connect in making patchwork: to patchwork neckties into bedspreads.

Origin:
1685–95; patch1 + work

patch·work·y, adjective


1. medley, jumble, mélange.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Patchwork is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
to bark; yelp.
Collins
World English Dictionary
patchwork (ˈpætʃˌwɜːk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  needlework done by sewing pieces of different materials together
2.  something, such as a theory, made up of various parts: a patchwork of cribbed ideas

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

patchwork
1690s, from patch (1) + work.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

patchwork

the process of joining strips, squares, triangles, hexagons, or other shaped pieces of fabric (also called patches), by either hand or machine stitching, into square blocks or other units. It is one of the primary construction techniques of quilting and is often combined with applique. In constructing the quilt top the pieced blocks may be stitched together, alternated with blocks cut from a single fabric, or separated by long strips of fabric known as sashing. The blocks may be arranged in a wide variety of settings, including rotated 90 degrees "on point." Pieced or plain border strips are often added to complete the quilt top. In the crazy quilt the patches are of irregular size and shape; like crazy blocks, string-pieced blocks, formed of strips of fabric, are sewn to a fabric or paper foundation

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
The result of this ends up being a patchwork that eventually starts to slow
  things down.
But don't overlook the city's patchwork of neighborhoods.
Regulatory oversight was a confusing patchwork, full of holes.
That's because there's a vast patchwork of grants, scholarships and loans
  available.
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