miscegenation

[ mi-sej-uh-ney-shuhn, mis-i-juh- ]

/ mɪˌsɛdʒ əˈneɪ ʃən, ˌmɪs ɪ dʒə- /

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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

Words nearby miscegenation

miscarriage of justice, miscarry, miscast, Misc. Doc., misce, miscegenation, miscellanea, miscellaneous, miscellanist, miscellany, mischance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use miscegenation in a sentence

In both intent and application, the anti-miscegenation laws were about race, not marriage.
Opposing Gay Marriage Doesn’t Make You a Crypto-Racist|Jonathan Rauch|April 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But strict British anti-miscegenation laws limited their opportunities for finding a spouse.
This Week’s Hot Reads: March 10, 2014|Mythili Rao|March 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yes, he does say something about American society, which so frowned on miscegenation in the 1870s.
The Man Who Made America: Simone Winchester Talks New Book|Eric Herschthal|October 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Miscegenation Ball was an exception in its otherwise bland, though proficient, catalog.
How a Racist Newspaper Defeated Lincoln in New York in the 1864 Election|Harold Holzer|May 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Miscegenation would follow and a mongrel race would be the result.
Up From History, Part 4|David Frum|February 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There was extensive miscegenation of the two races after the middle of the seventeenth century.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 5, 1920|Various
This scarcely half-civilized daughter of miscegenation was a Hecate in the skilful decoction of potent leaves, roots and berries.
A Dream of Empire|William Henry Venable
There appeared few cases of the miscegenation of the white women with black men but here and there it would recur.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 4, 1919|Various
The author says that the presence of African slaves and Indians early gave rise to the problem of miscegenation.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 3, 1918|Various
As the Portugese are a good-natured people void of race hate they did not dread the miscegenation of the races.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 3, 1918|Various

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

miscegenation

Origin of miscegenation

OTHER WORDS FROM miscegenation

Words nearby miscegenation

Words related to miscegenation

How to use miscegenation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for miscegenation

Derived forms of miscegenation

Word Origin for miscegenation