Chapter 984

Mis`be*have" (?) , v. t. & i. [ imp. & p. p. Misbehaved (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Misbehaving .] To behave ill; to conduct one's self improperly; -- often used with a reciprocal pronoun.

Misbehaved <Xpage=928>

Mis`be*haved" (?) , a. Guilty of ill behavior; illbred; rude. "A misbehaved and sullen wench."

Shak.

Misbehavior <Xpage=928>

Mis`be*hav"ior (?) , n. Improper, rude, or uncivil behavior; ill conduct.

Addison.

Misbelief <Xpage=928>

Mis`be*lief" (?) , n. Erroneous or false belief.

Misbelieve <Xpage=928>

Mis`be*lieve" (?) (<?/) , v. i. To believe erroneously, or in a false religion. "That misbelieving Moor."

Shak.

Misbeliever <Xpage=928>

Mis`be*liev"er (?) , n. One who believes wrongly; one who holds a false religion.

Shak.

Misbeseem <Xpage=928>

Mis`be*seem" (?) , v. t. To suit ill.

Misbestow <Xpage=928>

Mis`be*stow" (?) , v. t. To bestow improperly.

Misbestowal <Xpage=928>

Mis`be*stow"al (?) , n. The act of misbestowing.

Misbileve <Xpage=928>

Mis`bi*leve" (?) , n. Misbelief; unbelief; suspicion. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Misbode <Xpage=928>

Mis*bode" (?) , imp. of Misbede .

Misboden <Xpage=928>

Mis*bo"den (?) , p. p. of Misbede .

Misborn <Xpage=928>

Mis"born` (?) , a. Born to misfortune.

Spenser.

Miscalculate <Xpage=928>

Mis*cal"cu*late (?) , v. t. & i. To calculate erroneously; to judge wrongly. -- Mis*cal`cu*la"tion (#) , n.

Miscall <Xpage=928>

Mis*call" (?) , v. t. 1. To call by a wrong name; to name improperly.

2. To call by a bad name; to abuse. [Obs.]

Fuller.

Miscarriage <Xpage=928>

Mis*car"riage (?) , n. 1. Unfortunate event or issue of an undertaking; failure to attain a desired result or reach a destination.

When a counselor, to save himself, Would lay miscarriages upon his prince. Dryden.

2. Ill conduct; evil or improper behavior; as, the failings and miscarriages of the righteous .

Rogers.

3. The act of bringing forth before the time; premature birth.

Miscarriageable <Xpage=928>

Mis*car"riage*a*ble (?) , a. Capable of miscarrying; liable to fail. [R.]

Bp. Hall.

Miscarry <Xpage=928>

Mis*car"ry (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Miscarried (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Miscarrying .]

1. To carry, or go, wrong; to fail of reaching a destination, or fail of the intended effect; to be unsuccessful; to suffer defeat.

My ships have all miscarried . Shak.

The cardinal's letters to the pope miscarried . Shak.

2. To bring forth young before the proper time.

Miscast <Xpage=928>

Mis*cast" (?) , v. t. To cast or reckon wrongly.

Miscast <Xpage=928>

Mis*cast" , n. An erroneous cast or reckoning.

Miscegenation <Xpage=928>

Mis`ce*ge*na"tion (?) , n. [L. miscere to mix + the root of genus race.] A mixing of races; amalgamation, as by intermarriage of black and white.

Miscellanarian <Xpage=928>

Mis`cel*la*na"ri*an (?) , a. [See Miscellany .] Of or pertaining to miscellanies. Shaftesbury . -- n. A writer of miscellanies.

Miscellane <Xpage=928>

Mis"cel*lane (?) , n. [See Miscellaneous , and cf. Maslin .] A mixture of two or more sorts of grain; -- now called maslin and meslin .

Bacon.

Miscellanea <Xpage=928>

Mis"cel*la"ne*a (?) , n. pl. [L. See Miscellany .] A collection of miscellaneous matters; matters of various kinds.

Miscellaneous <Xpage=928>

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.

Miscellanist <Xpage=928>

Mis"cel*la*nist (?) , n. A writer of miscellanies; miscellanarian.

Miscellany <Xpage=928>

Mis"cel*la*ny (?) , n. ; pl. Miscellanies (#) . [L. miscellanea , neut. pl. of. miscellaneus : cf. F. miscellan\'82e , pl. miscellan\'82es . See Miscellaneous .] A mass or mixture of various things; a medley; esp., a collection of compositions on various subjects.

'T is but a bundle or miscellany of sin; sins original, and sins actual. Hewyt.

Miscellany madam , a woman who dealt in various fineries; a milliner. [Obs.]

B. Jonson.

<page="929"> Page 929

Miscellany <Xpage=929>

Mis"cel*la*ny (?) , a. Miscellaneous; heterogeneous. [Obs.]

Bacon.

Miscensure <Xpage=929>

Mis*cen"sure (?) , v. t. To misjudge. [Obs.] Daniel . -- n. Erroneous judgment. [Obs.] Sylvester.

Mischance <Xpage=929>

Mis*chance" (?) , n. [OE. meschance , OF. mescheance .] Ill luck; ill fortune; mishap.

Chaucer.

Never come mischance between us twain. Shak.

Syn. -- Calamity; misfortune; misadventure; mishap; infelicity; disaster. See Calamity .

Mischance <Xpage=929>

Mis*chance" , v. i. To happen by mischance.

Spenser.

Mischanceful <Xpage=929>

Mis*chance"ful (?) , a. Unlucky.

R. Browning.

Mischaracterize <Xpage=929>

Mis*char"ac*ter*ize (?) , v. t. To characterize falsely or erroneously; to give a wrong character to.

They totally mischaracterize the action. Eton.

Mischarge <Xpage=929>

Mis*charge" (?) , v. t. To charge erroneously, as in account. -- n. A mistake in charging.

Mischief <Xpage=929>

Mis"chief (?) , n. [OE. meschef bad result, OF. meschief ; pref. mes- (L. minus less) + chief end, head, F. chef chief. See Minus , and Chief .]

1. Harm; damage; esp., disarrangement of order; trouble or vexation caused by human agency or by some living being, intentionally or not; often, calamity, mishap; trivial evil caused by thoughtlessness, or in sport.

Chaucer.

Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs . Ps. lii. 2.

The practice whereof shall, I hope, secure me from many mischiefs . Fuller.

2. Cause of trouble or vexation; trouble.

Milton.

The mischief was, these allies would never allow that the common enemy was subdued. Swift.

To be in mischief , to be doing harm or causing annoyance. -- To make mischief , to do mischief, especially by exciting quarrels. -- To play the mischief , to cause great harm; to throw into confusion. [Colloq.]

Syn. -- Damage; harm; hurt; injury; detriment; evil; ill. -- Mischief , Damage , Harm . Damage is an injury which diminishes the value of a thing; harm is an injury which causes trouble or inconvenience; mischief is an injury which disturbs the order and consistency of things. We often suffer damage or harm from accident, but mischief always springs from perversity or folly.

Mischief <Xpage=929>

Mis"chief , v. t. To do harm to. [Obs.]

Milton.

Mischiefable <Xpage=929>

Mis"chief*a*ble (?) , a. Mischievous. [R.]

Lydgate.

Mischiefful <Xpage=929>

Mis"chief*ful (?) , a. Mischievous. [Obs.]

Foote.

Mischief-maker <Xpage=929>

Mis"chief-mak`er (?) , n. One who makes mischief; one who excites or instigates quarrels or enmity.

Mischief-making <Xpage=929>

Mis"chief-mak`ing , a. Causing harm; exciting enmity or quarrels. Rowe . -- n. The act or practice of making mischief, inciting quarrels, etc.

Mischievous <Xpage=929>

Mis"chie*vous (?) , a. Causing mischief; harmful; hurtful; -- now often applied where the evil is done carelessly or in sport; as, a mischievous child . "Most mischievous foul sin."

Shak.

This false, wily, doubling disposition is intolerably mischievous to society. South.

Syn. -- Harmful; hurtful; detrimental; noxious; pernicious; destructive.

-- Mis"chie*vous*ly , adv. -- Mis"chie*vous*ness , n.

Mischna <Xpage=929>

Misch"na (?) , n. See Mishna .

Mischnic <Xpage=929>

Misch"nic (?) , a. See Mishnic .

Mischoose <Xpage=929>

Mis*choose" (?) , v. t. [ imp. Mischose (?) ; p. p. Mischosen (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Mischoosing .] To choose wrongly.

Milton.

Mischoose <Xpage=929>

Mis*choose" , v. i. To make a wrong choice.

Mischristen <Xpage=929>

Mis*chris"ten (?) , v. t. To christen wrongly.

Miscibility <Xpage=929>

Mis`ci*bil"i*ty (?) , n. [Cf. F. miscibilit\'82 .] Capability of being mixed.

Miscible <Xpage=929>

Mis"ci*ble (?) , a. [Cf. F. miscible , fr. L. miscere to mix.] Capable of being mixed; mixable; as, water and alcohol are miscible in all proportions .

Burke.

Miscitation <Xpage=929>

Mis`ci*ta"tion (?) , n. Erroneous citation.

Miscite <Xpage=929>

Mis*cite" , v. t. To cite erroneously.

Misclaim <Xpage=929>

Mis*claim" (?) , n. A mistaken claim.

Miscognizant <Xpage=929>

Mis*cog"ni*zant (?) , a. (Law) Not cognizant; ignorant; not knowing.

Miscognize <Xpage=929>

Mis*cog"nize (?) , v. t. To fail to apprehend; to misunderstand. [Obs.]

Holland.

Miscollocation <Xpage=929>

Mis*col`lo*ca"tion (?) , n. Wrong collocation.

De Quincey.

Miscolor <Xpage=929>

Mis*col"or (?) , v. t. To give a wrong color to; figuratively, to set forth erroneously or unfairly; as, to miscolor facts .

C. Kingsley.

Miscomfort <Xpage=929>

Mis*com"fort (?) , n. Discomfort. [Obs.]

Miscomprehend <Xpage=929>

Mis*com`pre*hend" (?) , v. t. To get a wrong idea of or about; to misunderstand.

Miscomputation <Xpage=929>

Mis*com`pu*ta"tion (?) , n. Erroneous computation; false reckoning.

Miscompute <Xpage=929>

Mis`com*pute" (?) , v. t. [Cf. Miscount .] To compute erroneously.

Sir T. Browne.

Misconceit <Xpage=929>

Mis`con*ceit" (?) , n. Misconception. [Obs.]

Misconceive <Xpage=929>

Mis`con*ceive" (?) , v. t. & i. [ imp. & p. p. Misconceived (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Misconceiving .] To conceive wrongly; to interpret incorrectly; to receive a false notion of; to misjudge; to misapprehend.

Those things which, for want of due consideration heretofore, they have misconceived . Hooker.

Syn. -- To misapprehend; misunderstand; mistake.

Misconceiver <Xpage=929>

Mis`con*ceiv"er (?) , n. One who misconceives.

Misconception <Xpage=929>

Mis`con*cep"tion (?) , n. Erroneous conception; false opinion; wrong understanding.

Harvey.

Misconclusion <Xpage=929>

Mis`con*clu"sion (?) , n. An erroneous inference or conclusion.

Bp. Hall.

Misconduct <Xpage=929>

Mis*con"duct (?) , n. Wrong conduct; bad behavior; mismanagement.

Addison.

Syn. -- Misbehavior; misdemeanor; mismanagement; misdeed; delinquency; offense.

Misconduct <Xpage=929>

Mis`con*duct" (?) , v. t. To conduct amiss; to mismanage.

Johnson.

To misconduct one's self , to behave improperly.

Misconduct <Xpage=929>

Mis`con*duct" , v. i. To behave amiss.

Misconfident <Xpage=929>

Mis*con"fi*dent (?) , a. Having a mistaken confidence; wrongly trusting. [R.]

Bp. Hall.

Misconjecture <Xpage=929>

Mis`con*jec"ture (?; 135) , n. A wrong conjecture or guess.

Sir T. Browne.

Misconjecture <Xpage=929>

Mis`con*jec"ture (?) , v. t. & i. To conjecture wrongly.

Misconsecrate <Xpage=929>

Mis*con"se*crate (?) , v. t. To consecrate amiss. " Misconsecrated flags."

Bp. Hall.

Misconsecration <Xpage=929>

Mis*con`se*cra"tion , n. Wrong consecration.

Misconsequence <Xpage=929>

Mis*con"se*quence (?) , n. A wrong consequence; a false deduction.

Misconstruable <Xpage=929>

Mis*con"stru*a*ble (?) , a. Such as can be misconstrued, as language or conduct.

R. North.

Misconstruct <Xpage=929>

Mis`con*struct" (?) , v. t. To construct wrongly; to construe or interpret erroneously.

Misconstruction <Xpage=929>

Mis`con*struc"tion (?) , n. Erroneous construction; wrong interpretation.

Bp. Stillingfleet.

Misconstrue <Xpage=929>

Mis*con"strue (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Misconstrued (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Misconstruing .] To construe wrongly; to interpret erroneously.

Do not, great sir, misconstrue his intent. Dryden.

Much afflicted to find his actions misconstrued . Addison.

Misconstruer <Xpage=929>

Mis*con"stru*er (?) , n. One who misconstrues.

Miscontent <Xpage=929>

Mis`con*tent" (?) , a. Discontent. [Obs.]

Miscontinuance <Xpage=929>

Mis`con*tin"u*ance (?) , n. (Law) Discontinuance; also, continuance by undue process.

Miscopy <Xpage=929>

Mis*copy" (?) , v. t. To copy amiss.

Miscopy <Xpage=929>

Mis*copy" , n. A mistake in copying.

North Am. Rev.

Miscorrect <Xpage=929>

Mis`cor*rect" (?) , v. t. To fail or err in attempting to correct. "Scaliger miscorrects his author."

Dryden.

Miscounsel <Xpage=929>

Mis*coun"sel (?) , v. t. To counsel or advise wrongly.

Miscount <Xpage=929>

Mis*count" (?) , v. t. & i. [Cf. OF. mesconter , F. m\'82compter . Cf. Miscompute .] To count erroneously.

Miscount <Xpage=929>

Mis*count" , n. [Cf. F. m\'82compte error, OF. mesconte .] An erroneous counting.

Miscovet <Xpage=929>

Mis*cov"et (?) , v. t. To covet wrongfully. [Obs.]

Miscreance, Miscreancy <Xpage=929>

Mis"cre*ance (?) , Mis"cre*an*cy (?) , n. [OF. mescreance , F. m\'82cr\'82ance incredulity.] The quality of being miscreant; adherence to a false religion; false faith. [Obs.]

Ayliffe.

Miscreant <Xpage=929>

Mis"cre*ant (?) , n. [OF. mescreant , F. m\'82cr\'82ant ; pref. mes- (L. minus less) + p. pr. fr. L. credere to believe. See Creed .]

1. One who holds a false religious faith; a misbeliever. [Obs.]

Spenser. De Quincey.

Thou oughtest not to be slothful to the destruction of the miscreants , but to constrain them to obey our Lord God. Rivers.

2. One not restrained by Christian principles; an unscrupulous villain; a while wretch.

Addison.

Miscreant <Xpage=929>

Mis"cre*ant , a. 1. Holding a false religious faith.

2. Destitute of conscience; unscrupulous.

Pope.

Miscreate <Xpage=929>

Mis`cre*ate" (?) , a. Miscreated; illegitimate; forged; as, miscreate titles . [Obs. or Poet.]

Shak.

Miscreate <Xpage=929>

Mis`cre*ate" (?) , v. t. To create badly or amiss.

Miscreated <Xpage=929>

Mis`cre*at"ed (?) , a. Formed unnaturally or illegitimately; deformed.

Spenser. Milton.

Miscreative <Xpage=929>

Mis`cre*a"tive , a. Creating amiss. [R.]

Miscredent <Xpage=929>

Mis*cre"dent (?) , n. [Pref. mis- + credent . Cf. Miscreant .] A miscreant, or believer in a false religious doctrine. [Obs.]

Holinshed.

Miscredulity <Xpage=929>

Mis`cre*du"li*ty (?) , n. Wrong credulity or belief; misbelief.

Bp. Hall.

Miscue <Xpage=929>

Mis*cue" (?) , n. (Billiards) A false stroke with a billiard cue, the cue slipping from the ball struck without impelling it as desired.

Misdate <Xpage=929>

Mis*date" , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Misdated ; p. pr. & vb. n. Misdating .] To date erroneously.

Young.

Misdeal <Xpage=929>

Mis*deal" (?) , v. t. & i. [ imp. & p. p. Misdealt (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Misdealing .] To deal or distribute wrongly, as cards; to make a wrong distribution.

Misdeal <Xpage=929>

Mis*deal" , n. The act of misdealing; a wrong distribution of cards to the players.

Misdeed <Xpage=929>

Mis*deed" (?) , n. [AS. misd<?/d . See Deed , n. ] An evil deed; a wicked action.

Evils which our own misdeeds have wrought. Milton.

Syn. -- Misconduct; misdemeanor; fault; offense; trespass; transgression; crime.

Misdeem <Xpage=929>

Mis*deem" (?) , v. t. To misjudge. [Obs.]

Milton.

Misdemean <Xpage=929>

Mis`de*mean" (?) , v. t. To behave ill; -- with a reflexive pronoun; as, to misdemean one's self .

Misdemeanant <Xpage=929>

Mis`de*mean"ant (?) , n. One guilty of a misdemeanor.

Sydney Smith.

Misdemeanor <Xpage=929>

Mis`de*mean"or (?) , n. 1. Ill behavior; evil conduct; fault.

Shak.

2. (Law) A crime less than a felony.

Wharton.

&hand; As a rule, in the old English law, offenses capitally punishable were felonies; all other indictable offenses were misdemeanors. In common usage, the word crime is employed to denote the offenses of a deeper and more atrocious dye, while small faults and omissions of less consequence are comprised under the gentler name of misdemeanors .

Blackstone.

The distinction, however, between felonies and misdemeanors is purely arbitrary, and is in most jurisdictions either abrogated or so far reduced as to be without practical value. Cf. Felony .

Wharton.

Syn. -- Misdeed; misconduct; misbehavior; fault; trespass; transgression.

Misdempt <Xpage=929>