miscellaneous

adjective

mis·​cel·​la·​neous ˌmi-sə-ˈlā-nē-əs 

-nyəs

1

: consisting of diverse things or members : heterogeneous

2

a

: having various traits

b

: dealing with or interested in diverse subjects

as a writer I was too miscellaneous

—George Santayana

miscellaneously adverb

miscellaneousness noun

Synonyms

• assorted
• eclectic
• heterogeneous
• indiscriminate
• kitchen-sink
• magpie
• mixed
• motley
• patchwork
• piebald
• promiscuous
• raggle-taggle
• ragtag
• varied

Examples of miscellaneous in a Sentence

The coyotes, in other words, also munched rabbits, woodchucks, meadow mice, deer mice, jumping mice, and freelance miscellaneous booty like frogs and fallen apples and muskrats,  … —Edward Hoagland, Harper's, June 2007

The sandhogs' word for a miscellaneous happening in which a sandhog is injured is mishap. —Alec Wilkinson, Double Take, Summer 2001

… we came upon what must have been his camp, a rather elaborate shelter made of lashed saplings and covered with plastic sheeting; empty Clorox bottles were scattered around, along with rope, canned goods, and what Huck Finn would have called his traps—the miscellaneous pots, clothing, and whatnot that you lug around through life. —Franklin Burroughs, The River Home, 1992

a miscellaneous collection of tools

the bottom of the drawer was always a miscellaneous accumulation of odds and ends

Recent Examples on the Web

That probably, for me, means like keep a couple of wedges of random cheese in your cheese drawer in your refrigerator, those plus miscellaneous scoop of mustard, the last couple of cornichon from your jar. —Bon Appétit, 11 Dec. 2024

The Etruscans, a pre-Roman group who resided in the area in the first millennium B.C.E., left behind tombs, a pyramid and miscellaneous structures. —Lanta Davis and Vince Reighard, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2024

Seven types of artistry will be on display this year: projection installations, murals, light sculptures and performance art, existing features, lighting effects, live entertainment and miscellaneous. —Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 17 Oct. 2024

Between the open-air smelting, wire burning, and other miscellaneous wrecking, I’m horrified by the thought of how thoroughly poisoned Katangua must be. —Vince Beiser, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin miscellāneus "combining various elements, mixed" (from miscellus "of mixed type, hybrid, assorted" —of uncertain origin— + -āneus, adjective suffix, probably after collēctāneus "assembled from various sources") + -ous

Note: The word miscellus first occurs in the De agri cultura of Cato the Elder, as a modifier of ūva "bunch of grapes" and vītis "vine" to denote an inferior grape variety. On formal grounds it could be a diminutive of *misculus, the presumed base of a Vulgar Latin verb *misculāre "to mix" (see meddle); *misculus would be a noun, perhaps meaning "mixture," irregularly derived from the base of the verb miscēre "to mix" (see mix entry 1). Alternatively, miscellus could hypothetically be the outcome of *minuscellus, a diminutive of minusculus "rather small" (see minuscule entry 1), with loss of the pretonic syllable by syncope and subsequent loss of the nasal consonant. A phonetic parallel would be the development of Late Latin mīsterium from ministerium (see mystery entry 2). The meaning "very small," hence "insignificant," would better fit Cato's inferior grape variety than "mixed," as a mixture of grapes does not seem to come into question. The later sense "of mixed type" would be the result of association of miscellus with miscēre. (See M. Leumann, "Lateinische Etymologien und Bedeutungen," Glotta, 11. Band [1921], pp. 190-92.) For more on the suffix -āneus see the etymology and note at spontaneous.

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

miscellaneous

adjective

mis·​cel·​la·​neous ˌmis-ə-ˈlā-ne-əs 

-nyəs

: consisting of many things of different sorts

miscellaneously adverb

miscellaneousness noun