ˈmikst adjective
Etymology: alteration (influenced by mixed, past participle of mix ) (I) of Middle English mixte — more at mix
1. : combining the characteristics of more than one kind or class : not conforming to a single type
mixed grain in lumber
a horse with a mixed gait
as
a. : having the legal attributes of two or more classes
a personal, real, or mixed action
b. : uniting features of two or more of the recognized systems of government (as aristocracy, democracy, monarchy)
gave to mixed government the form of a system of checks and balances — G.H.Sabine
a mixed state
a mixed constitution, in which King, Lords, and Commons all played their historical part — Ernest Barker
c. : combining features or exhibiting symptoms of more than one condition or disease
a mixed tumor
d. of a hand : having the fingers and palm of more than one type and usually held by palmists to indicate versatility and ease of comprehension and creativity often combined with erratic behavior and a lack of concentration — compare conic , philosophic , psychic , spatulate , square
e. of an inflorescence : combining racemose and cymose formations
the mixed thyrsus of the lilac
f. : involving joint ownership by both government and private individuals or business organizations
a mixed corporation
g. : of or constituting a life-insurance company having a paid-up capital in addition to its accumulated assets and awarding a small portion of its profits to the proprietors or shareholders and the remainder to the assured (as in the mutual plan)
the mixed plan
a mixed company
h. of a chemical compound : characterized by different groups, radicals, or ions of similar type
mixed glycerides
— opposed to simple
2. : made up of or involving individuals or items of more than one kind
a mixed carload
a highway open to mixed traffic
a mixed repertory of music old and new — Virgil Thomson
go to town in fatigues, mixed uniforms and practically anything we want — Glen Carlsen
as
a.
(1) : made up of or involving persons differing in race, national origin, religion, or class
a mixed trade union with Negroes and whites in the same local
the mixed group of Alsatians, French, Swiss, Germans … who founded and developed the community — American Guide Series: Texas
the religion of children in mixed households
(2) : including persons of dubious social status or moral character : not select
admit that the early Christians were a very mixed lot — G.B.Shaw
(3) : made up of representatives of both sides (as of a matter in dispute) and often one or more neutral members
settle their frontier disputes by means of mixed frontier commissions — UN Dept. of Public Information
— compare joint
(4) : constituted by native and foreign judges for the administration of justice between persons of different nationalities
the jurisdiction of the mixed courts extends over all civil cases between Europeans and Egyptians — Evelyn Baring
set up a mixed tribunal for the suppression of the slave trade — R.E.Crist
b.
(1) : made up of or involving individuals of both sexes
a story considered unfit for mixed company
mixed socials
the couple who sang soprano and bass in the mixed quartet
a contract bridge contest for mixed pairs
(2) : of both men and women performing in combination
a work for mixed voices sung by the men's and women's glee clubs
a mixed chorus
c. of a stable natural community : containing two or more kinds of organism in abundance
a mixed prairie including both short grasses and midgrasses
d. of a canasta : containing one or more wild cards
3.
a. : including or accompanied by inconsistent or incompatible elements
considered technical advance a mixed blessing
got a mixed reaction from the family
— often used with plural nouns
acted from mixed motives when money was involved
mixed feelings toward a writer close to him in expression but alien in temperament — Irving Howe
mixed reviews, ranging from “a sound musical drama” to “a very tasteless and pointless production” — Current Biography
b. of a market : characterized by price movements in both directions : irregular
the bond market was mixed
4. : that derives from two or more recognized races or breeds
a person of mixed blood
a dog of mixed breed
5. of a vowel : central 7