Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

MISCARRY — MISHAP

MISCARRY, v.i. To fail of the intended effect; not to succeed; to be unsuccessful; to suffer defeat; applied to persons or undertakings, and to things. We say, a project, scheme, design, enterprise, attempt, has miscarried.

Have you not heart of Frederick, the great soldier, who miscarried at sea?

My ships have all miscarried.

1. To bring forth young before the proper time; to suffer abortion.

MISCARRYING, ppr. Failing of the intended effect; suffering abortion. Hosea 9:14.

MISCAST, v.t. To cast or reckon erroneously.

MISC`AST, pp. Erroneously cast or reckoned.

MISC`AST, n. An erroneous cast or reckoning.

MISCASTING, ppr. Casting or reckoning erroneously.

MISCELLANARIAN, a. [See Miscellany.]

Belonging to miscellanies; of miscellanies.

Miscellanarian authors.

MISCELLANARIAN, n. A writer of miscellanies.

MISCELLANE, n. [L. miscellaneus.] A mixture of two or more sorts of grain; now called meslin.

MISCELLANEOUS, a. [L. miscellaneus, from misceo, to mix.]

Mixed; mingled; consisting of several kinds; as a miscellaneous publication; a miscellaneous rabble.

MISCELLANEOUSNESS, n. The state of being mixed; composition of various kinds.

MISCELLANY, n. [L. miscellanea, from misceo, to mix.]

1. A mass or mixture of various kinds; particularly,

2. A book or pamphlet containing a collection of compositions on various subjects, or a collection of various kinds of compositions.

MISCELLANY, a. Miscellaneous.

MISCENTER, v.t. To place amiss. [Not in use.]

MISCHANCE, n. Ill luck; ill fortune; misfortune; mishap; misadventure.

It is a man’s unhappiness, his mischance or calamity, but not his fault.

MISCHARACTERIZE, v.t. [See Character.] To characterize falsely or erroneously; to give a wrong character to.

They totally mischaracterize the action.

MISCHARGE, v.t. To mistake in charging, as an account.

MISCH`ARGE, n. A mistake in charging, as an account; an erroneous entry in an account.

MISCHIEF, n.

1. Harm; hurt; injury; damage; evil, whether intended or not. A new law is made to remedy the mischief.

2. Intentional injury; harm or damage done by design.

Thy tongue deviseth mischief. Psalm 52:2.

3. Ill consequence; evil; vexatious affair.

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

MISCHIEF, v.t. To hurt; to harm; to injure.

MISCHIEF-MAKER, n. One who makes mischief; one who excites or instigates quarrels or enmity.

MISCHIEF-MAKING, a. Causing harm; exciting enmity or quarrels.

MISCHIEVOUS, a. Harmful; hurtful; injurious; making mischief; of persons; as a mischievous man or disposition.

1. Hurtful; noxious; as a mischievous thing.

2. Inclined to do harm; as a mischievous boy.

MISCHIEVOUSLY, adv. With injury, hurt, loss or damage. We say, the law operates mischievously.

1. With evil intention or disposition. The injury was done mischievously.

MISCHIEVOUSNESS, n. Hurtfulness; noxiousness.

1. Disposition to do harm, or to vex or annoy; as the mischievousness of youth.

Mischief denotes injury, harm or damage of less malignity and magnitude than what are usually called crimes. We never give the name of mischief to theft, robbery or murder. And it so commonly implies intention in committing petty offenses, that it shocks us to hear the word applied to the calamities inflicted by Providence. We say, a tempest has done great damage, but not mischief. In like manner, the adjective mischievous is not applied to thieves, pirates and other felons, but to persons committing petty trespasses and offenses.

MISCHNA, n. A part of the Jewish Talmud. [See Mishna.]

MISCHOOSE, v.t. mischooz’. To choose wrong; to make a wrong choice.

MISCHOSEN, pp. Chosen by mistake.

MISCIBLE, a. [L. misceo, to mix.]

That may be mixed. Oil and water are not miscible.

MISCITATION, n. A wrong citation; erroneous quotation.

MISCITE, v.t. To cite erroneously or falsely.

MISCLAIM, n. A mistaken claim or demand.

MISCOMPUTATION, n. Erroneous computation; false reckoning.

MISCOMPUTE, v.t. To compute or reckon erroneously.

MISCONCEIT, MISCONCEPTION, n. Erroneous conception; false opinion; wrong notion or understanding of a thing.

Great errors and dangers result from a misconception of the names of things.

MISCONCEIVE, v.t. or i. To receive a false notion or opinion of any thing; to misjudge; to have an erroneous understanding of any thing.

To yield to others just and reasonable causes of those things, which, for want of due consideration heretofore, they have misconceived.

MISCONCEIVED, pp. Wrongly understood; mistaken.

MISCONCEIVING, ppr. Mistaking; misunderstanding.

MISCONDUCT, n. Wrong conduct; ill behavior; ill management.

MISCONDUCT, v.t. To conduct amiss; to mismanage.

MISCONDUCT, v.i. To behave amiss.

MISCONDUCTED, pp. Ill managed; badly conducted.

MISCONDUCTING, ppr. Mismanaging; misbehaving.

MISCONJECTURE, n. A wrong conjecture or guess.

MISCONJECTURE, v.t. or i. To guess wrong.

MISCONSTRUCTION, n. Wrong interpretation of words or things; a mistaking of the true meaning; as a misconstruction of words or actions.

MISCONSTRUE, v.t. To interpret erroneously either words or things. It is important not to misconstrue the Scriptures.

Do not, great sir, misconstrue his intent.

A virtuous emperor was much affected to find his actions misconstrued.

MISCONSTRUED, pp. Erroneously interpreted.

MISCONSTRUER, n. One who makes a wrong interpretation.

MISCONSTRUING, ppr. Interpreting wrongly.

MISCORRECT, v.t. To correct erroneously; to mistake in attempting to correct another.

He passed the first seven years of his life at Mantua, not seventeen, as Scaliger miscorrects his author.

MISCORRECTED, pp. Mistaken in the attempt to correct.

MISCOUNSEL, v.t. To advise wrong.

MISCOUNT, v.t. To count erroneously; to mistake in counting.

MISCOUNT, v.i. To make a wrong reckoning.

MISCOUNT, n. An erroneous counting or numbering.

MISCREANCE, MISCREANCY, n. [See Miscreant.] Unbelief; false faith; adherence to a false religion.

MISCREANT, n. [L. credens, credo.]

1. An infidel, or one who embraces a false faith.

2. A vile wretch; an unprincipled fellow.

MISCREATE, MISCREATED, a. Formed unnaturally or illegitimately; deformed.

MISDATE, n. A wrong date.

MISDATE, v.i. To date erroneously.

MISDEED, n. An evil deed; a wicked action.

Evils which our own misdeeds have wrought.

MISDEEM, v.t. To judge erroneously; to misjudge; to mistake in judging.

MISDEMEAN, v.t. To behave ill.

MISDEMEANOR, n. Ill behavior; evil conduct; fault; mismanagement.

1. In law, an offense of a less atrocious nature than a crime. Crimes and misdemeanors are mere synonymous terms; but in common usage, the word crime is made to denote offenses of a deeper and more atrocious dye, while small faults and omissions of less consequence are comprised under the gentler name of misdemeanors.

MISDESERT, n. Ill desert.

MISDEVOTION, n. False devotion; mistaken piety. [Little used.]

MISDIET, n. Improper diet or food. [Not used.]

MISDIRECT, v.t. To give a wrong direction to; as to misdirect a passenger.

1. To direct to a wrong person or place; as, to misdirect a letter.

MISDIRECTED, pp. Directed wrong, or to a wrong person or place.

MISDIRECTING, ppr. Directing wrong, or to a wrong person or place.

MISDISPOSITION, n. Disposition to evil. [Not in use.]

MISDISTINGUISH, v.t. To make wrong distinctions.

MISDO, v.t. [See Do.] To do wrong; to do amiss; to commit a crime or fault.

MISDOER, n. One who does wrong; one who commits a fault or crime.

MISDOING, ppr. Doing wrong; committing a fault or crime.

MISDOING, n. A wrong done; a fault or crime; an offense.

MISDOUBT, v.t. misdout’. [See Doubt.] To suspect of deceit or danger. [An ill formed word and not in use.]

MISDOUBT, n. Suspicion of crime or danger. [Not used.]

1. Irresolution; hesitation. [Not used.]

MISDOUBTFUL, a. Misgiving. [Not used.]

MISE, n. meze. [L. mitto.]

1. In law, an issue to be tried at the grand assize.

2. Expense; cost.

3. A tax or tallage; in Wales, an honorary gift of the people to a new king or prince of Wales; also, a tribute paid in the county Palatine of Chester at the change of the owner of the earldoms.

MISEMPLOY, v.t. To employ to no purpose, or to a bad purpose; as, to misemploy time, power, advantages, talents, etc.

MISEMPLOYED, pp. Used to no purpose, or to a bad one.

MISEMPLOYING, ppr. Using to no purpose, or to a bad one.

MISEMPLOYMENT, n. Ill employment; application to no purpose, or to a bad purpose.

MISENTRY, n. An erroneous entry or charge, as of an account.

MISER, n. s as z. [L. miser, miserable.] A miserable person; one wretched or afflicted.

1. A wretch; a mean fellow.

2. An extremely covetous person; a sordid wretch; a niggard; one who in wealth makes himself miserable by the fear of poverty. [This is the only sense in which it is now used.]

No silver saints by dying misers given.

MISERABALE, a. s as z. [L. miser, miserabilis.]

1. Very unhappy from grief, pain, calamity, poverty, apprehension of evil, or other cause. It however expresses somewhat less than wretched.

What hopes delude thee, miserable man?

2. Very poor; worthless.

Miserable comforters are ye all. Job 16:2.

3. Causing unhappiness or misery.

What’s more miserable than discontent?

4. Very poor or mean; as a miserable hut; miserable clothing.

5. Very poor or barren; as a miserable soil.

6. Very low or despicable; as a miserable person.

MISERABLENESS, n. State of misery; poorness.

MISERABLY, adv. Unhappily; calamitously.

The fifth was miserably stabbed to death.

1. Very poorly or meanly; wretchedly. They were miserably entertained.

2. In misery or unhappiness.

MISERLY, a. [See Miser.] Very covetous; sordid; niggardly; parsimonious.

MISERY, n. s as z. [L. miseria.]

1. Great unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind. A man suffers misery from the gout, or from great afflictions, distress, calamity, and other evils. Misery expresses somewhat less than wretchedness.

Misery is as really the fruit of vice reigning in the heart, as tares are the produce of tares sown in the field.

2. Calamity; misfortune; natural evils which are the cause of misery.

And mourn the miseries of human life.

3. Covetousness. [Not used.]

MISESTIMATE, v.t. To estimate erroneously.

MISFALL, v.t. To befall, as ill luck; to happen to unluckily.

MISFARE, n. Ill fare; misfortune.

MISFASHION, v.t. To form wrong.

MISFEASANCE, n. misfe’zance. In law, a trespass; a wrong done.

MISFORM, v.t. To make of an ill form; to put in an ill shape.

MISFORTUNE, n. Ill fortune; ill luck; calamity; an evil or cross accident; as loss of property at sea or by fire.

Consider why the change was wrought,

You’ll find it his misfortune, not his fault.

MISFORTUNED, a. Unfortunate.

MISGIVE, v.t. misgiv’. [See Give.] To fill with doubt; to deprive of confidence; to fail; usually applied to the heart.

So doth my heart misgive me.

His heart misgave him.

1. To give or grant amiss. [Not in use.]

MISGIVING, ppr. Filling with doubt or distrust; failing.

MISGIVING, n. A failing of confidence; doubt; distrust.

Doubts, suspicions and misgivings.

MISGOTTEN, a. Unjustly obtained.

MISGOVERN, v.t. To govern ill; to administer unfaithfully.

Solyman charged him bitterly that he had misgoverned the state.

MISGOVERNANCE, n. Ill government; disorder; irregularity.

MISGOVERNED, pp. Ill governed; badly administered.

1. Rude; unrestrained; as rude, misgoverned hands.

MISGOVERNMENT, n. Ill administration of public affairs.

1. Ill management in private affairs.

2. Irregularity; disorder.

MISGRAFF, v.t. To graft amiss.

MISGROUND, v.t. To found erroneously.

MISGUIDANCE, n. Wrong direction; guidance into error.

MISGUIDE, v.t. To lead or guide into error; to direct ill; as, to misguide the understanding or mind.

MISGUIDED, pp. Let astray by evil counsel or wrong direction; as a misguided prince.

MISGUIDING, ppr. Giving wrong direction to; leading into error.

MISGUM, MISGURN, n. An anguilliform fish about the size of a common eel.

MISHAP, n. Ill chance; evil accident; ill luck; misfortune.

Secure from worldly chances and mishaps.