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mongrel

Etymology and origin of the English word mongrel

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmʌŋ.ɡɹəl/ (UK); /ˈmɑŋ.ɡɹəl/, /ˈmʌŋ.ɡɹəl/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English,[2] probably from obsolete mong “mixture”,[3][4][5][2][6] from Old English gemang (“mingling, crowd”),[3][4][5][2][6] with the disparaging suffix -rel.[5][6] It is related to among and mingle.[5][2][6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

A heraldic term for a kind of dog, probably of mixed breed (about 1460).[4][6][5]

Semantic evolution

The word was applied to persons of mixed race or birth from 1542, chiefly in disparagement,[7][5] and to any animal or plant of mixed breed from 1677.[7] The adjective “of mixed breed” is from 1576.[4][7][5] Etymonline notes that the distinction between a mongrel and a hybrid is not always observed.[5]

Timeline

  • about 700 – Old English gemang.[4]
  • about 1460 – a dog of mixed breed.[4][5]
  • 1542 – a person of mixed descent.[7][5]
  • 1576 – adjective, of mixed breed.[7][4][5]
  • 1677 – any crossbred animal or plant.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A dog of mixed or unknown breed; a mutt.
  2. Any animal or plant resulting from mixed breeding.
  3. A cross between different kinds of things, especially an incongruous one.

Adjective

  1. Of mixed breed, nature or origin.

Word family

  • mongrelism
  • mongrelization
  • mongrelize
  • among
  • mingle
  • hybrid

Usage notes

Random House gives mutt, cross and half-breed as synonyms, refers to hybrid for a discussion, and gives thoroughbred and purebred as antonyms.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c d e f Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

  • steward · also from Old English
  • mantle · also from Old English
  • fiddle · also from Old English
  • mule · also from Old English
  • sparrow · also from Old English
  • weasel · also from Old English
  • comet · also from Old English
  • sneeze · also from Old English
Cite this entry

“Mongrel.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/mongrel. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·