Mingle

How to spell mingle

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce mingle

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does mingle mean?

1. verbTo mix or blend different things so they combine into one.
2. verbTo move among people at a gathering, chatting with various guests.

Mingle in a sentence

• The scent of coffee and fresh bread seemed to mingle in the kitchen.

• The host encouraged everyone to mingle rather than sit at one table.

• Different cultures mingle freely in this busy port city.

• She likes to mingle with new colleagues at office parties.

Where does mingle come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Mingle is a native English word with deep Germanic roots. It grew out of the Middle English verb 'mengelen', a frequentative form of 'mengen', which simply meant 'to mix' and came from the Old English 'mengan'. The frequentative '-le' ending, the same kind of repeating-action ending found in words like 'sparkle' and 'wrestle', gave the sense of mixing over and over, blending things thoroughly together. The base verb has close cousins across the Germanic family, such as Dutch 'mengen' and German 'mengen', all meaning 'to mix'. The same ancient root also lies behind the everyday word 'among' and even 'mongrel', a creature of mixed breeding. The silent middle and the soft 'g' (sounded as 'j') are the small spelling traps, since the word is pronounced 'ming-gul' but ends in the unstressed '-gle'.

How the word is built

• meng- (to mix, from Old English mengan)
• -le (frequentative suffix indicating repeated or continuous action)