Where does “promiscuous” come from?

Promiscuous comes from Latin promiscuus, formed from Latin pro combined with a root from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- meaning to mix or blend.

promiscuous (English): Made up of various disparate elements mixed...

Definitions

  1. Made up of various disparate elements mixed...

Ancestry of “promiscuous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinprōmiscuusnot separate or distinct, mixed; mutual, shared
2Latinprō-forward direction, forward movement
3Proto-Italic*pro-pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “promiscuous”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European por- →