miscegenation

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

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.

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

OTHER WORDS FROM miscegenation

mis·ce·ge·net·ic [mis-i-juh-net-ik, mi-sej-uh-] /ˌmɪs ɪ dʒəˈnɛt ɪk, mɪˌsɛdʒ ə-/, adjective an·ti·mis·ce·ge·na·tion, noun, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for miscegenation

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

Medical definitions for miscegenation

miscegenation
[ mĭ-sĕj′ə-nāshən, mĭs′ĭ-jə- ]

n.

Marriage or sexual relations between individuals of different races.