Mixing

How to spell mixing

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce mixing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does mixing mean?

1. verbCombining two or more substances or things so that they form a single blend.
2. nounThe stage of recording in which separate audio tracks are balanced and blended into a finished sound.

Mixing in a sentence

• verb

  The recipe warns against mixing the eggs in too quickly.

• noun

  The band booked a studio for the final mixing of their album.

• verb

  She spent the afternoon mixing paint to match the old wall colour.

• noun

  Good mixing can make a rough demo sound professional.

Where does mixing come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the -ing form of the verb 'mix', which arrived in English in the late 1400s, partly as a back-formation from the older adjective 'mixt' (mixed). The deeper root is the Latin verb miscere, meaning 'to mingle' or 'to blend together', which passed through Old French as 'mixte' before settling into English. The very same Latin root gives us 'mixture', 'miscellaneous' (literally 'mixed up'), and 'promiscuous'. The spelling is mercifully regular: the single x simply takes -ing with no doubling, because x already represents a 'ks' sound and English never doubles x. Knowing that keeps writers from second-guessing the ending.

How the word is built

• mix (from Latin miscere: to mix)
• -ing (verbal noun / present participle suffix)