intermingle

American  

[in-ter-ming-guhl] / ˌɪn tərˈmɪŋ gəl /

verb (used with or without object)

intermingled, intermingling

1. to mingle, one with another; intermix.

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intermingle British  

/ ˌɪntəˈmɪŋɡəl /

verb

1. to mix or cause to mix or mingle together

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Other Word Forms

• interminglement
  noun
• unintermingled
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of intermingle

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at inter-, mingle

Explanation

Things that intermingle get mixed up with each other. Tall grasses and daisies might intermingle in your parents' backyard, but your parents may choose not to intermingle with their neighbors. When kids from diverse backgrounds intermingle in school, they learn more about people who are different from themselves, and when several different flavors intermingle successfully in a recipe, the taste is complex and delicious. Intermingle intermingles the prefix inter-, "among or between" and mingle, from the Middle English myngen, "to mix," from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to knead together."

Example Sentences

Intermingle them, and then without looking at them put one under each leg of the bed and one under the pillow.

From Current Superstitions Collected from the Oral Tradition of English Speaking Folk by Bergen, Fanny D. (Fanny Dickerson)

Intermingle, in-tėr-ming′gl, v.t. and v.i. to mingle or mix together.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

Related Words

• interlace
• interweave