Mixture

mix·ture   (mĭks'chər)    n.   The act or process of mixing: an alloy made from the mixture of two metals. The condition of being mixed: the inevitable mixtures of urban neighborhoods. Something produced by mixing. One that consists of diverse elements: The day was a mixture of sun and clouds. A fabric made of different kinds of thread or yarn. Chemistry A composition of two or more substances that are not chemically combined with each other and are capable of being separated. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin mixtūra, from mixtus, past participle of miscēre, to mix; see meik- in Indo-European roots.] Synonyms: These nouns refer to a combination produced by mixing. Mixture has the widest application: She routinely drank a mixture of tea and honey. "He showed a curious mixture of eagerness and terror" (Francis Parkman). Blend and amalgam imply that the original components have lost their distinctness: The novel is a fascinating blend of romance and realism. The comedian's act was an amalgam of incisive wit and unceasing good humor. Admixture suggests that one of the components is dissimilar to the others: a perfume containing an essential oil with a large admixture of alcohol. A compound constitutes a new and independent entity: The school's program is a compound of scholarship and athleticism. A composite has components that may retain part of their identities: a musical suite that is a composite of operatic themes.

Mixture

Mix"ture\, n. [L. mixtura, fr. miscere, mixtum, to mix: cf. F. mixture. See Mix.]

1. The act of mixing, or the state of being mixed; as, made by a mixture of ingredients. --Hooker.

2. That which results from mixing different ingredients together; a compound; as, to drink a mixture of molasses and water; -- also, a medley.

There is also a mixture of good and evil wisely distributed by God, to serve the ends of his providence. --Atterbury.

3. An ingredient entering into a mixed mass; an additional ingredient.

Cicero doubts whether it were possible for a community to exist that had not a prevailing mixture of piety in its constitution. --Addison.

4. (Med.) A kind of liquid medicine made up of many ingredients; esp., as opposed to solution, a liquid preparation in which the solid ingredients are not completely dissolved.

5. (Physics & Chem.) A mass of two or more ingredients, the particles of which are separable, independent, and uncompounded with each other, no matter how thoroughly and finely commingled; -- contrasted with a compound; thus, gunpowder is a mechanical mixture of carbon, sulphur, and niter.

6. (Mus.) An organ stop, comprising from two to five ranges of pipes, used only in combination with the foundation and compound stops; -- called also furniture stop. It consists of high harmonics, or overtones, of the ground tone.

Syn: Union; admixture; intermixture; medley.

Main Entry: mix·ture
Pronunciation: 'miks-ch&r
Function: noun
: a product of mixing: as a : a portion of matter consisting of twoor more components in varying proportions that retain their own properties b : an aqueous liquid medicine : POTION; specifically : a preparation in which insoluble substances are suspended in watery fluids by the addition of a viscid material (as gum, sugar, or glycerol)

mixture mix·ture (mĭks'chər)
n.

1. A composition of two or more substances that are not chemically combined with each other and are capable of being separated.
2. A preparation consisting of a liquid holding an insoluble medicinal substance in suspension by means of some viscid material.

mixture   (mĭks'chər)  Pronunciation Key  A composition of two or more substances that are not chemically combined with each other and are capable of being separated.