mongrel

C2+ Topic:Animals
US /ˈmʌŋɡrəl/ UK /ˈmʌŋɡrəl/
noun adj

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a dog or animal of mixed or indeterminate breed

    The shelter was full of friendly mongrels needing homes.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a dog or animal of mixed or... muttcrossbreedhybridcurhalf-breed
Opposites
purebredthoroughbred
Word family
Derived forms mongrelizemongrelism

Etymology

From Middle English, formed from the Germanic root of mong ('mixture'), as in among / Old English gemang ('mingling'), with the diminutive/derogatory suffix -rel.

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Topics

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