From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Miscellaneous \Mis`cel*la"ne*ous\, a. [L. miscellaneus mixed,
miscellaneous, fr. miscellus mixed, fr. miscere to mix. See
Mix, and cf. Miscellany.]
Mixed; mingled; consisting of several things; of diverse
sorts; promiscuous; heterogeneous; as, a miscellaneous
collection. "A miscellaneous rabble." --Milton. --
Mis`cel*la"ne*ous*ly, adv. -- Mis`cel*la"ne*ous*ness, n.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
miscellaneous
adj 1: consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds;
"an arrangement of assorted spring flowers"; "assorted
sizes"; "miscellaneous accessories"; "a mixed program of
baroque and contemporary music"; "a motley crew"; "sundry
sciences commonly known as social"- I.A.Richards [syn:
assorted, miscellaneous, mixed, motley,
{sundry(a)}]
2: having many aspects; "a many-sided subject"; "a multifaceted
undertaking"; "multifarious interests"; "the multifarious
noise of a great city"; "a miscellaneous crowd" [syn: {many-
sided}, multifaceted, miscellaneous, multifarious]