A Mixer Is a Machine, a Drink and a Party
A mixer blends things together. The word covers kitchen machines, drinks added to spirits and social events for meeting people.
A mixer is anything that mixes: a kitchen machine, a sound engineer's desk, or a soft drink added to a spirit. American English adds a fourth: a *mixer* is a social event arranged so that people can meet, especially new students or colleagues. In British English that sense is rare, and the drink sense dominates. The verb *mix* is itself a back-formation from *mixt*, an old past participle borrowed from French.
- A kitchen machine. *A food mixer.*
- A drink added to spirits. *Tonic as a mixer.*
- A sound desk. *The mixer in the studio.*
- A social event (American). *A freshers' mixer.*
- A sociable person. *A good mixer.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | mixer | A hand mixer. |
| Plural | mixers | Two mixers. |
| Verb | mix | Mix it. |
| Noun | mixture | A mixture. |
| Latin | miscere | To mix. |
- Use the mixer for the cake batter.Kitchen.
- What mixers do you have?Bar.
- The department held a mixer.American social event.
The miscere family
- Mix — a back-formation from *mixt*
- Mixture — the result of mixing
- Miscellaneous — of mixed kinds
- Promiscuous — originally simply indiscriminately mixed
- Meddle — from the same root, through French
From *mix*, a back-formation from Middle English *mixt*, from Old French, from Latin *miscere*, to mix.
What is a mixer in American usage?
A social gathering arranged so people can meet each other, common at universities and workplaces.
Is mix a back-formation?
Yes. English borrowed the past participle mixt from French and then created the verb mix from it.