Word of the Day

: January 20, 2007

miscible

adjective MISS-uh-bul

What It Means

: capable of being mixed; specifically : capable of mixing in any ratio without separation of two phases

miscible in Context

Mr. Remington's class demonstration showed that, to paraphrase an old saying, oil and water are indeed not miscible.

Did You Know?

"Miscible" isn't simply a lesser-known synonym of "mixable" -- it's also a cousin. It comes to us from the Medieval Latin adjective "miscibilis," which has the same meaning as "miscible" and which derives in turn from Latin "miscēre," meaning "to mix." "Miscēre" is also the ultimate source of our "mix"; its past participle "mixtus" (meaning "mixed") spawned "mixte" in Anglo-French and Middle English, and "mix" came about as a back-formation of "mixte." The suffix "-able" gives us "mixable," thereby completing its link to "miscible." "Miscible" turns up most frequently in scientific discussions where it is used especially to describe fluids that don't separate when they are combined.