# miscegenation

> English word · Noun · IPA /mɪˌsɛd͡ʒ.əˈneɪ.ʃən/ · frequency rank #67,653

## Definitions
1. The mixing or blending of race in marriage or breeding, interracial marriage.
2. A mixing or blending, especially one which is considered to be inappropriate.

## Etymology
Blend of Latin miscēre (“mix”) + Latin genus (“race”) + -ation. Coined by American journalist David Goodman Croly in 1864 and first used in an anonymous pamphlet he coauthored, which claimed to be written by a person who believed in the inherent unity of all racial groups, that marriage between blacks and whites would create a better race, and that the American Civil War was a fight for the latter idea. Later, it was exposed that the pretext of the pamphlet was false and that it had actually been written by a group which hoped to inflame anger, particularly against then-US President Abraham Lincoln who was up for reelection.
Replaced previous amalgamation, from metallurgy.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/miscegenation