miscegenation

American  

[mi-sej-uh-ney-shuhn, mis-i-juh-] / mɪˌsɛdʒ əˈneɪ ʃən, ˌmɪs ɪ dʒə- /

noun

1. 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.

2. sexual relations between two people from different racial backgrounds resulting in the conception of a mixed-race child.

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miscegenation British  

/ ˌmɪsɪdʒɪˈneɪʃən, ˌmɪsɪdʒɪˈnɛtɪk /

noun

1. interbreeding of races, esp where differences of pigmentation are involved

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Other Word Forms

• antimiscegenation noun
• miscegenetic adjective

Etymology

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; -ation

Example Sentences

But Awoye Timpo’s impassioned production was also about the miscegenation of America itself, a marriage still far from happy more than 100 years later.

From New York Times

After all, through most of American history, miscegenation was illegal in many places and frowned upon in most.

From Seattle Times

Looked at more broadly, “Wedding Band” is about the miscegenation of America itself, a marriage still far from happy more than 50 years later.

From New York Times

George doesn’t know at first that Zoe is an octoroon, meaning she’s 1/8th Black, but he refuses to let miscegenation law stand in the way of his heart’s desire.

From Los Angeles Times

He collapsed the history of coerced miscegenation going back to the plantation into a raw metaphor.

From New York Times