Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
- Entries
- 95,912
- Pages
- 1,538
- Illustrations
- 2,133
Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Mis-doubt'ful, a. p. 844Misgiving. [Obs.] She 'gan to cast in her misdoubtful mind A thousand fears. Spenser.Mis-drēad’, n. p. 844Dread of evil. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.MĪse, n. p. 844(Law.) The issue in a writ of right. 2. Expense; cost; disbursement. 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…Mis-ēase', n. p. 844Want of ease; uneasiness. [Obs.]Mis-ēas'y, a. p. 844Not easy; painful; uneasy. [Obs.]Mis'e-dī'tion, n. p. 844An incorrect or spurious edition. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.Mis-ēd'ū-cā'ted, a. p. 844Educated in a wrong manner.Mis'em-ploy', v. t. p. 844To employ to no purpose, or to a bad purpose; to use amiss; as, to misemploy time, power, advantages, talents, &c.Mis'em-ploy'ment, n. p. 844Ill employment; application to no purpose, or to a bad purpose.Mis'en-trēat', v. t. p. 844To treat wrongfully or injuriously.Mis-èn’try, n. p. 844An erroneous entry or charge, as of an account.Mi'ser, n. p. 844A miserable person; one wretched or afflicted. [Obs.] Spenser. 2. A wretch; a mean fellow; especially, an extremely covetous person; a sordid wretch; a niggard; one who in wealth makes himself…Mis'er-a-ble, a. p. 844Very unhappy; in a state of misery or distress; wretched; suffering from any cause. It expresses somewhat less than wretched. What hopes delude thee, miserable man? Dryden. 2. Causing unhappiness or…Mĭs'er-a-ble-ness, n. p. 844The state of being miserable; poorness.Mis'er-a-bly, adv. p. 844In a miserable manner; unhappily; calamitously; wretchedly; meanly. They were miserably entertained. Sidney. The fifth was miserably stabbed to death. South.Mĭs'er-ā'tion, n. p. 844Commiseration; pity. [Obs.]Mĭs'e-rē're, n. p. 844(Rom. Cath. Church.) The psalm usually appointed for penitential acts, being the 51st psalm, which commences with this word. 2. (Mus.) A musical composition adapted to the 51st psalm. 3. (Arch.) A…Mis'er-i-côrd', n. p. 844Compassion; pity; sympathy. [Obs.] Chaucer. Gower. 2. (Arch.) See MISERERE.Mĭs'er-i-cōr'di-a, n. p. 844(O. Law.) An amercement. Burrill. 2. (Anc. Armor.) A narrow-bladed dagger used by a knight in the middle ages;—so called because employed against a dismounted adversary whom he had forced to cry for…Mis'er-ly, a. p. 844Very covetous; sordid; niggardly; parsimonious. Syn.—Avaricious; niggardly; sordid; parsimonious; penurious; covetous; stingy; mean. See Avaricious.Mis'er-y, n. p. 844Great unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind; wretchedness; distress; woe. Miseria is as really the fruit of vice reigning in the heart, as tares are the produce of tares sown in the field. J.…Mis'es-teem', n. p. 844Want of esteem; disrespect.Mis-ĕs'ti-māte, v. t. p. 844To estimate erroneously.Mis-ēx'pla-nā'tion, n. p. 844An erroneous explanation.Mis-ēx'pli-cā'tion, n. p. 844Wrong explication.Mis-ĕx'po-si'tion, n. p. 844Wrong exposition.Mis'ex-pound', v. t. p. 844To expound erroneously.Mis'ex-prĕs'sion, n. p. 844Erroneous expression.Mis'faith, n. p. 844Want of faith: distrust. Tennyson.Mis-fall', v. t. p. 844To befall, as ill luck; to happen to unluckily. [Obs.] Spenser.Mis-fâre', n. p. 844Ill fare; misfortune. [Obs.] Spenser.Mis-fâre’, v. i. p. 844To be in an ill state; to fare ill. [Obs.] Spenser.Mis-fash’ion, v. t. p. 844To form wrongly. Halevill.Mis-fēa'sance, n. p. 844(Law.) A trespass; a wrong done; the improper doing of an act which a person might lawfully do. Bouvier. Wharton.Mis-feign’, v. i. p. 844To feign with an ill design. [Obs.] Spenser.Mis-fit', n. p. 844A bad fit. I saw an uneasy change in Mr. Micawber, which sat tightly on him, as if his new duties were a misfit. Dickens.Mis-fôrm', v. t. p. 844To make an ill form of; to put into an ill shape. Spenser.Mis'for-mā'tion, n. p. 844An irregularity of formation.Mis-fōrt'ū-nate, a. p. 844Producing misfortune; unfortunate. [Obs.] H. Taylor.Mis-fôrt'ūne, n. p. 844Ill fortune; ill luck; calamity; an evil or cross accident; disaster; mishap; mischance. Consider why the change was wrought, You'll find it his misfortune, not his fault. Addison. Syn. — Calamity…Mis-fort'ūne, v. i. p. 844To happen unluckily or unfortunately; to miscarry; to fail. [Obs.] Stow.Mis-fôrt'ūned, a. p. 844Unfortunate. [Obs.] Milton.Mis-frāme', v. t. p. 844To frame wrongly.Mis-gĕt', v. t. p. 844To get by unlawful means; to procure wrongfully. [Obs.] Gower.Mis-gīve′, v. t. p. 844To fill with doubt and apprehension; to deprive of confidence; to fail; —usually applied to the heart, and followed by the objective personal pronoun, as me, him, them. So doth my heart misgive me.…Mis-gĭv'ing, n. p. 844A failing of confidence; doubt; distrust. “Suspicious and misgivings.” South.Mis-gō', v. i. p. 844To go astray. [Obs.] Spenser.Mis-gŏt'ten, a. p. 844Unjustly obtained.Mis-gŏv'ern, v. t. p. 844To govern ill; to administer unfaithfully. Solyman charged him bitterly that he had misgoverned the state. Knolles.Mis-gŏv'ern-ance, n. p. 844Ill government; disorder; irregularity. [Obs.] Spenser.Mis-gŏv'ern-ment, n. p. 844Ill administration of public or private affairs. 2. Irregularity; disorder.Mis-grā'ciŏŭs, a. p. 844Not graceful or gracious; disagreeable. [Obs.] Gower.Mis-gräft', v. t. p. 844Mis-graft', v. t. p. 844To graft amiss.Mis-ground’, v. t. p. 844To found erroneously:Mis-grōwth’, n. p. 844Ill growth; unnatural or abnormal development.Mis-guēss', v. t. & i. p. 844To guess wrongly.Mis-guid'ance, n. p. 844Wrong direction; guidance into error. South.Mis-guide', v. t. p. 844To direct ill; to lead or guide into error; as, to misguide the understanding or mind.Mis-guide', n. p. 844Misguidance. [Obs.] Spenser.