miscellaneum

English

Etymology

Perhaps by back-formation from miscellanea, in accordance with the -um → -a rule of plural formation of neuter nouns in the nominative case from the Latin second declension.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌmɪsəˈleɪnɪəm/

Noun

miscellaneum (plural miscellanea)

1. (rare, chiefly archaic) A miscellany.
   • 1652: Samuel Hartlib, Cornu Copia : A Miscellaneum of lucriferous and most fructiferous Experiments, Observations, and Discoveries, immethodically distributed ; to be really demonstrated and communicated in all Sincerity., book title (Harleian Miscellany, volume VI, pages 27–36)

     Cornu Copia : A Miscellaneum of lucriferous and most fructiferous Experiments, Observations, and Discoveries, immethodically distributed ; to be really demonstrated and communicated in all Sincerity.

   • 1851, The Musical World‎^[1], page 129:

     The second part was devoted to a miscellaneum. It commenced with a reference to the interdiction of stage entertainment in the time of the Protectorate.

   • 1999: Housman Society, Housman Society Journal, page 87 (Turner & Devereux)

     Aside from those cited in this miscellaneum, other copies are to be seen at Bryn Mawr (inscribed by Kennerley to R. W. Ellis); Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; and private collection 1.

   • 2004, Shlomo Berger, Michael Brocke, Irene E Zwiep, Zutot 2003‎^[2], Springer, →ISBN, page 28, →ISBN:

     In this miscellaneum I would like to describe a medieval translation of Keter Malkhut which, to the best of my knowledge, has not been noted anywhere in scholarly literature.

Usage notes

• Miscellanea is almost universally treated as a plurale tantum in English, consequently, the singular form miscellaneum is liable to cause confusion:
  1. As miscellanea means, in the usual sense, “a miscellaneous collection of different things”, a single miscellaneum is logically impossible because variety and diversity (in their usual senses) are attributes of groups of things, not of individual things; for example, a populace can be varied and diverse, but a person cannot be various or diverse.
  2. Miscellanea will usually be taken to mean “a single miscellany”, not several assortments.
• In common usage, miscellany is over seven hundred times more common than miscellaneum, whereas miscellanea is around six hundred times more common than miscellaneum; in re plural forms, the Anglicised miscellaneums is well over a hundred thousand times rarer than miscellanea and over eighteen thousand times rarer than miscellanies.

Latin

Adjective

miscellāneum

1. nominative neuter singular of miscellāneus