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miscegenation

[ mi-sej-uh-ney-shuhn, mis-i-juh- ]
/ mɪˌsɛdʒ əˈneɪ ʃən, ˌmɪs ɪ dʒə- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR miscegenation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

marriage or cohabitation between two people from different racial groups, especially, in the U.S., between a Black person and a white person: In 1967 the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that state laws prohibiting miscegenation were unconstitutional.
sexual relations between two people from different racial backgrounds resulting in the conception of a mixed-race child.

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Origin of miscegenation

Irregular formation from Latin miscē(re) “to mix” + Latin gen(us) “race, stock, species” + English -ation noun suffix; allegedly coined by U.S. journalist David Goodman Croly (1829–89) in a pamphlet published anonymously in 1864; see -ation

OTHER WORDS FROM miscegenation

mis·ce·ge·net·ic [mis-i-juh-net-ik, mi-sej-uh-], /ˌmɪs ɪ dʒəˈnɛt ɪk, mɪˌsɛdʒ ə-/, adjectivean·ti·mis·ce·ge·na·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to miscegenation

combination, amalgam, bastard, cross, compound, half-breed, mongrel, half-caste, crossbreed, mule, intermarriage, half-blood, incross, outcross

Example sentences from the Web for miscegenation

British Dictionary definitions for miscegenation

miscegenation
/ (ˌmɪsɪdʒɪˈneɪʃən) /

noun

interbreeding of races, esp where differences of pigmentation are involved

Derived forms of miscegenation

miscegenetic (ˌmɪsɪdʒɪˈnɛtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for miscegenation

C19: from Latin miscēre to mingle + genus race
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for miscegenation

miscegenation
[ mĭ-sĕj′ə-nā′shən, mĭs′ĭ-jə- ]

n.

Marriage or sexual relations between individuals of different races.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.