miscix

Latin

Alternative forms

• mixcix, mittix (the reading of this word is uncertain)

Etymology

Possibly a neologism from miscēre (“to mix”). Cf. the classically indeclinable nūgās, nūgāx (“incompetent, bungling”) and another hapax, miscelliō (“an irresolute, fickle person”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈmis.kiːks/, [ˈmɪs̠kiːks̠] or IPA^(key): /ˈmis.kiks/, [ˈmɪs̠kɪks̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈmiʃ.ʃiks/, [ˈmiʃːiks]

Noun

miscī̆x m or f (indeclinable)

1. (hapax, neologism, dubious) Someone who does things half-way or improperly.
   • c. 27 CE – 66 CE, Petronius, Satyricon 45.6:

     Nōn est miscī̆x. Ferrum optimum datūrus est, sine fugā, carnārium in mediō, ut amphitheāter videat.

     He doesn't mess around. He's going to give us a proper fight, no running, a public slaughterhouse, so the whole amphitheater can see.

Usage notes

The form and prosody, meaning, usage and even grammatical category of this word are all uncertain.

References

• “mixcix” on page 1233 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (2nd ed., 2012)
• “miscix”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• miscix in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.