A dog or other animal of mixed breed; a person of mixed heritage (though this usage can be offensive).
From Middle English and Old English, possibly from Germanic roots meaning 'to mix.' The word originally applied to animals but was eventually applied to people, carrying increasingly complex social connotations throughout history.
Mongrels are often healthier and more genetically diverse than purebreds, yet the word became associated with 'inferior' or 'mixed' things—a perfect example of how language reflects human biases that don't match biological reality.
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