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n. 1. An animal or plant resulting from various interbreedings, especially a dog of mixed or undetermined breed. 2. Offensive A person of mixed background or descent. 3. Something that is a mixture or combination of elements: "Purists ... object that bordeaux is a mongrel because it mixes two, three or four grape varieties" (Hugh Johnson). adj. 1. Of mixed origin or character: "English has always been a mongrel tongue, a hybrid of arriving idioms" (Mark Abley). 2. Offensive Being a person of mixed background or descent. 3. Being a mongrel organism. [Middle English, probably from mong, mixture, from Old English gemang; see mag- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] mon·grelism n. mongrel·ly adv. |
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