Promiscuous

Promiscuous

Adjective · /prəˈmɪskjuəs/ · having or characterised by many casual sexual partners; lacking discernment or selectivity

Definition

Promiscuous most commonly describes a person who engages in sexual activity with many different partners indiscriminately, without commitment or careful selection. More broadly, promiscuous means mixed or indiscriminate — applied to things that are drawn from many sources without discrimination. A promiscuous reader consumes everything without selectivity. A promiscuous mixture blends elements without order or care. The unifying idea is always the same: a lack of selection, a refusal to discriminate.

Origin

From Latin promiscuus — mixed, common, shared — from pro- (forward, forth) and miscere (to mix). The same root gives miscellaneous, mix, and meddle. In classical Latin, promiscuus described something held in common or used without distinction — a promiscuous road was open to all. The English adjective entered in the 17th century with the broader sense of mixed and indiscriminate, and only gradually narrowed toward its predominantly sexual modern meaning.