promiscuous
adjective/prəˈmɪskjuəs/
/prəˈmɪskjuəs/
- (disapproving) having many sexual partners
- promiscuous behaviour
- a promiscuous lifestyle
- to be sexually promiscuous
- a sexually promiscuous society
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- (formal, often disapproving) taken from a wide range of sources, especially without careful thought
- promiscuous reading
- a stylistically promiscuous piece of music
Word Originearly 17th cent.: from Latin promiscuus ‘indiscriminate’, (based on miscere ‘to mix’) + -ous. The early sense was ‘consisting of elements mixed together’, giving rise to ‘indiscriminate’ and ‘undiscriminating’, which led to the sense of ‘casual’.
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promiscuous