mixed origins

English

Adjective

mixed origins (comparative more mixed origins, superlative most mixed origins)

1. (UK, of a person) Having mixed racial, ethnic, or national parentage or ancestry. This term was promoted as an alternative to “mixed race” in a 1994 resolution of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, in part because of its correlation to mid-twentieth-century British laws using the phrase “race or ethnic or national origins”, but did not see wide use outside of the UK anthropology field.

Usage notes

In 2006 British anthropological surveys by Peter J. Aspinall et al, out of 75 general population respondents who identified as “mixed race” and one who did not, five found the term “mixed origins” offensive and four indicated it was a preferred term. Out of 311 student respondents who identified as “mixed race” and 15 who did not, three found the term “mixed origins” offensive and 51 indicated it was a preferred term.

See also

• mixed-race
• mixed heritage