miscegenation

[ mi-sej-uh-ney-shuh n, mis-i-juh- ]

/ mɪˌsɛdʒ əˈneɪ ʃən, ˌmɪs ɪ dʒə- /

SEE MORE 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 1968 the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that state laws prohibiting miscegenation were unconstitutional.

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

Nearby words

miscarriage, miscarriage of justice, miscarry, miscast, misce, miscegenation, miscellanea, miscellaneous, miscellanist, miscellany, misch metal

Origin of miscegenation

irregular < Latin miscē(re) to mix + gen(us) race, stock, species + -ation; allegedly coined by U.S. journalist David Goodman Croly (1829–89) in a pamphlet published anonymously in 1864

Related forms

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, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for miscegenation

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
The major theme defining our new American century is miscegenation.
George Zimmerman, Hispanics, and the Messy Nature of American Identity|Ilan Stavans|April 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The next point was, to get the miscegenation controversy into Congress.
The Humbugs of the World|P. T. Barnum
The one great phase of the race question agitating the country to-day is that of intermarriage and miscegenation.
Masterpieces of Negro Eloquence|Various
Nevertheless, in this instance the product of miscegenation seemed to offer in his own person a subtle contradiction.
The Wilderness Trail|Frank Williams
The South will not take kindly to the advocacy by Abdul Baha of the miscegenation of the races.
Bahaism and Its Claims|Samuel Graham Wilson
Once the political barriers are down, miscegenation will finish the job.
This Crowded Earth|Robert Bloch

British Dictionary definitions for miscegenation

miscegenation

/ (ˌmɪsɪdʒɪˈneɪʃən) /

noun

interbreeding of races, esp where differences of pigmentation are involved

Derived Forms

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

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of miscegenation

Related forms

Examples from the Web for miscegenation

British Dictionary definitions for miscegenation

miscegenation

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for miscegenation

Medicine definitions for miscegenation

miscegenation

n.