- misdeal (v.)
- 1746, "to make an error in dealing (cards);" from mis- (1) + deal (v.). The noun is attested from 1850.
- misdeed
- O.E. misdæd, common Gmc. compound (cf. O.S. misdad, O.Fris. misdede, M.Du. misdaet, Ger. missetat, Goth. missadeþs; see mis- (1) + deed.
- misdemeanor
- also misdemeanour, "legal class of indictable offenses," late 15c.; from mis- (1) "wrong" + M.E. demenure (see demeanor). Related: Misdemeanors; misdemeanours.
- misdial
- "to dial a wrong number on a telephone," 1964; see mis- (1) + dial (v.). Related: Misdialed; misdialing.
- misdirect
- c.1600, "give wrong directions to;" see mis- (1) + direct (v.). First record of misdirection "action of a conjurer, thief, etc. to distract someone" is from 1943.
- misdo
- O.E. misdon, "to do evil or wrong," common Gmc. compound (cf. O.Fris. misdua, M.Du. misdoen, Ger. misstun); see mis- (1) + do. Meaning "to do (work, etc.) improperly" is from 1840.
- misdoubt (v.)
- "to have doubts (of the reality of something)," c.1540; see mis- (1) + doubt.
- mise en scene
- 1833, from Fr. mise en scène.
- miseducation
- "wrong or faulty education," 1620s, from mis- (1) + education.
- miser
- 1540s, "miserable person, wretch," from L. miser (adj.) "unhappy, wretched," of unknown origin. Original sense now obsolete; main modern meaning of "money-hoarding person" first recorded c.1560, from presumed unhappiness of such people. Besides general wretchedness, the L. word connoted also "intense erotic love" (cf. slang got it bad "deeply infatuated") and hence was a favorite word of Catullus. In Gk. a miser was kyminopristes, lit. "a cumin seed splitter." In Mod.Gk., he or she might be called hekentabelones, lit. "one who has sixty needles." The Ger. word, filz, lit. "felt," preserves the image of the felt slippers which the miser often wore in caricatures. Lettish mantrausis "miser" is lit. "money-raker."
- miserable
- early 15c., "full of misery, causing wretchedness" (of conditions), from O.Fr. miserable, from L. miserabilis "pitiable, lamentable," from miserari "to pity, lament," from miser "wretched." Of persons, "existing in a state of misery" it is attested from 1520s. Related: Miserably.
- Miserere
- 51st Psalm (one of the Penitential Psalms), 13c., from Miserere mei Deus "Have mercy upon me, O God," opening line, from L. miserere "have mercy," imperative of misereri "to have mercy," from miser. From 15c.-17c. used as an informal measure of time, "the time it takes to recite the Miserere." Also in miserere mei "kind of severe colic ('iliac passion') accompanied by excruciating cramps and vomiting of excrement" (1611).
- miserly
- 1590s, from miser + -ly (1). Related: Miserliness.
- misery
- late 14c., "condition of external unhappiness," from O.Fr. miserie (12c.), from L. miseria "wretchedness," from miser. Meaning "condition of one in great sorrow or mental distress" is from 1530s. Meaning "bodily pain" is 1825, Amer.Eng.
- misfeasance
- 1596, "wrongful exercise of lawful authority or improper performance of a lawful act," from M.Fr. mesfaisance, from mesfaisant, prp. of mesfaire "to misdo," from mes- "wrongly" (see mis- (2)) + faire "to do," from L. facere "to perform" (see factitious).
- misfire (v.)
- 1752, of a gun, 1905, of an internal combustion engine; see mis- (1) + fire (v.). The noun is attested from 1839.
- misfit (n.)
- 1823, "garment which does not fit the person for whom it was intended;" see mis- (1) + fit. Meaning "person who does not fit his environment" is attested from 1880.
- misfortune
- c.1500, from mis- (1) + fortune. Related: Misfortunate.
- misgiving
- c.1600, "feeling of mistrust or sudden apprehension," from misgive "cause to feel doubt" (1510s), usually said of one's heart or mind, from mis- (1) + give in its M.E. sense of "suggest." Related: Misgivings.
- misguide
- late 14c., "to go astray;" see mis- (1) + guide (v.). Transitive sense of "to guide in the wrong direction" is first attested c.1500. Misguided "erring in purpose or action" is from 1650s.
- mishap
- early 14c., "bad luck, unlucky accident," from mis- "bad" + hap "luck." Probably on analogy of O.Fr. meschance.
- mishappen
- early 14c., from mis- (1) + happen.
- mishear
- O.E. mishieran "to disobey;" see mis- (1) + hear. Sense of "to hear incorrectly" first recorded early 13c.
- mishmash
- mid-15c., mysse-masche, probably an imitative reduplication of mash (1).
- Mishnaic
- 1718, "of or belonging to the Mishnah," the collection of oral law which forms the basis of the Talmud, from Heb., lit. "repetition, instruction," from shanah "to repeat," in post-Biblical Heb. "to teach or learn (oral tradition)."
- misidentify
- 1895, from mis- (1) + identify.
- misinform
- late 14c.; see mis- (1) + inform. Related: Misinformed; misinformation.
- misinterpret
- 1580s, from mis- (1) + interpret. Related: Misinterpreted; misinterpreting.
- misinterpretation
- 1570s; see mis- (1) + interpretation.
- misjudge
- 1520s (implied in misiudgynge); see mis- (1) + judge (v.).
- mislay
- c.1400, from mis- (1) + lay (v.). Related: Mislaid.
- mislead
- O.E. mislædan, common Gmc. compound (cf. M.L.G., M.Du. misleiden, O.H.G. misseleiten, Ger. missleiten, Dan. mislede); see mis- (1) + lead (v.). Related: misleading; misled.
- mislike
- O.E. mislician "to be displeasing;" see mis- (1) + like (v.). Sense of "to be displeased with" is attested from 1513.
- mismanagement
- 1668; see mis- (1) + management.
- mismatch
- 1590s (v.), c.1600 (n.); from mis- (1) + match (2). Related: Mismatched.
- mismeasure (v.)
- 1742; see mis- (1) + measure (v.).
- misname (v.)
- 1537; see mis- (1) + name (v.).
- misnomer
- mid-15c., from Anglo-Fr., from M.Fr. mesnomer "to misname," from mes- "wrongly" (see mis- (2)) + nomer "to name," from L. nominare "nominate" (see nominate).
- miso-
- before vowels, mis-, comb. form of misos "hatred," misein "to hate." Forming many compounds in English, most of them obscure or recherche, but some perhaps useful, e.g. misocapnic (adj.) "hating (tobacco) smoke," misocyny "hatred of dogs."
- misogamist
- 1706, from misogamy + -ist.
- misogamy
- 1650s, from Mod.L., from Gk. misogamos "hating marriage;" see miso- + -gamy (see bigamy).
- misogynism
- 1830, from misogyny + -ism.
- misogynist
- 1610s, from Gk. misogynes "woman-hater" (see misogyny).
- misogynistic
- 1821, from misogynist + -ic.
- misogyny
- 1650s, from Gk. misogynia, from misogynes "woman-hater," from miso- + gyne "woman" (see queen).
- misoneism
- "hatred of novelty," from miso- + Gk. neos "new" (see new).
- misperception
- 1722; see mis- (1) + perception.
- misplace
- 1550s, "to assign a wrong position to;" see mis- (1) + place (v.). Of affections, confidence, etc., "to give to a wrong object," it is recorded from 1630s. Related: Misplaced; misplacing.
- misplay
- 1889 (n.), in baseball context, from mis- (1) + play. Related: Misplayed; misplaying.
- misprint (v.)
- late 15c.; from mis- (1) + print (v.). The noun is first attested 1818.