miscix

Latin

Alternative forms

mixcix, mittix (the reading of this word is uncertain)

Etymology

Possibly a neologism from miscēre (“to mix”). Cf. the classically indeclinable nūgās, nūgāx (“incompetent, bungling”) and another hapax, miscelliō (“an irresolute, fickle person”).

Pronunciation

(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈmis.kiːks/, [ˈmɪs̠kiːks̠] or IPA^(key): /ˈmis.kiks/, [ˈmɪs̠kɪks̠]

(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈmiʃ.ʃiks/, [ˈmiʃːiks]

Noun

miscī̆x m or f (indeclinable)

(hapax, neologism, dubious) Someone who does things half-way or improperly.
- c. 27 CE – 66 CE, Petronius, Satyricon 45.6:
  Nōn est miscī̆x. Ferrum optimum datūrus est, sine fugā, carnārium in mediō, ut amphitheāter videat.
  He doesn't mess around. He's going to give us a proper fight, no running, a public slaughterhouse, so the whole amphitheater can see.

Usage notes

The form and prosody, meaning, usage and even grammatical category of this word are all uncertain.

References

“mixcix” on page 1233 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (2nd ed., 2012)
“miscix”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
miscix in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

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