814: mongrel, mutt, mingle and among Mar 1, 2017

'Mutt', commonly used when denoting dogs, comes from the humorous and much more innocent-sounding 'mutton-head' abbreviated in the late 19th century. If you're confused that this word is quite new, remember that such distinct dog breads less important until the idea of eugenics became quite popular, especially among aristocracy during the Victorian age. Another, earlier term for 'mutt' is a 'mongrel', which refers to anything of mixed descent—dog or person—offensively. Other terms like 'mingle' are etymologically related to 'mongrel' but are less derogatory. That word comes from 'meng' which is no longer used, but meant 'mix'. This word also led to 'among' which was from the Old English 'ongemang' meaning from 'on ('in') and 'gemang' meaning ‘assemblage'. For more on 'among' and 'amongst' see this link: 'again' and 'against' As for 'mix', itself, it was adopted from the Old French adjective, 'mixte', and in Middle English, 'mixt' was mistaken for to be participle, leading to the verb 'mix'.