Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Nearby Words

miscegenation

 - 6 dictionary results

mis⋅ceg⋅e⋅na⋅tion

  [mi-sej-uh-ney-shuhn, mis-i-juh-]
Use miscegenation in a Sentence
–noun
1. marriage or cohabitation between a man and woman of different races, esp., in the U.S., between a black and a white person.
2. interbreeding between members of different races.
3. the mixing or a mixture of races by interbreeding.
Origin:
irreg. < L 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-] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To miscegenation
mis·ceg·e·na·tion   (mĭ-sěj'ə-nā'shən, mĭs'ĭ-jə-)   
n.  Cohabitation, sexual relations, marriage, or interbreeding involving persons of different races, especially in historical contexts as a transgression of the law.

[Latin miscēre, to mix; see meik- in Indo-European roots + genus, race; see genə- in Indo-European roots + -ation.]
mis·ceg'e·na'tion·al adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

miscegenation 
1864, coined irregularly in Amer.Eng. from L. miscere "mix" + genus "race" (see genus).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: mis·ce·ge·na·tion
Pronunciation: (")mis-"ej-&-'nA-sh&n, "mis-i-j&-'nA-
Function: noun
: a mixture ofraces; especially : marriage or cohabitation between a white person and a member of another race —mis·ce·ge·na·tion·al /-shn&l,-sh&n-&l/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

miscegenation mis·ceg·e·na·tion (mĭ-sěj'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.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

miscegenation

marriage or cohabitation by persons of different race. Theories that the anatomical disharmony of children resulted from miscegenation were discredited by 20th-century genetics and anthropology. Although it is now accepted that modern populations are the result of the continuous mixing of various populations since prehistoric times, taboos on miscegenation-in some instances legally enforced-have existed and continue to exist in many race-based societies. In South Africa the official policy of apartheid for many years included legal prohibitions on miscegenation. In the United States many states had laws against interracial marriage until the Supreme Court declared them unconstitutional in 1967.

Learn more about miscegenation with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see miscegenation on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way