Promiscuous
/prəˈmɪs.kju.əs/noun
Having casual, varied, or indiscriminate relationships or associations; not limited to one choice or kind.
Did you know?Promiscuous comes from Latin promiscuus, meaning “mixed, indiscriminate,” from pro- (“forth”) + miscere (“to mix”), so its oldest sense was about blending, not bedroom behavior.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*meyg-
“to mix, blend”
Latin
Latin
miscere
“to mix, mingle”
Latin
Latin
promiscuus
“mixed together, indiscriminate, common to all”
Late Latin / Old French
Latin/Old French
promiscuous
“mixed, not restricted to one kind or group”
16th Century
English
promiscuous
“mixed or indiscriminate in character or composition”
Modern English
English
promiscuous
“sexually indiscriminate or casual; loosely mixed or varied”
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