promiscuous

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

From Latin promiscuus (“‘mixed, not separated’”), from pro (“‘forth’”) + miscere (“‘to mix’”).

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /prəˈmɪskjuːəs/

[edit] Adjective

promiscuous (comparative more promiscuous, superlative most promiscuous)

1. Made up of various disparate elements mixed together; of disorderly composition.
   • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book 1, ll. 379-80

     Came singly where he stood on the bare strand, / While the promiscuous croud stood yet aloof

2. Made without careful choice; indiscriminate.
3. Indiscriminate in choice of sexual partners.
4. (networking) The mode in which a NIC gathers all network traffic instead of getting only the traffic intended for it.

[edit] See also

• WikiSaurus:promiscuous man
• WikiSaurus:promiscuous woman

[edit] Derived terms

• promiscuity
• promiscuousness

[edit] Translations

[edit] Trivia

Promiscuous was the winning word at the 13th Scripps National Spelling Bee. [1]

[edit] External links

• promiscuous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• promiscuous in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• promiscuous at OneLook® Dictionary Search