Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To do wrongly or awkwardly; botch.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To do wrong to; treat badly.
- To do or perform amiss.
- To act amiss; err in action or conduct.
Wiktionary
- v. archaic, intransitive To do evil.
- v. transitive To do (something) incorrectly or improperly.
- v. archaic, transitive To do harm to; to injure, mistreat.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To do wrongly.
- v. obsolete To do wrong to; to illtreat.
- v. To do wrong; to commit a fault.
WordNet 3.0
- v. do wrongly or improperly
Etymologies
- From Middle English misdon, from Old English misdōn ("to do evil, transgress, do amiss, err"), from Proto-Germanic *missadōnan (“to do wrongly”), from *missa- (“mis-”), *dōnan (“to do”), corresponding to mis- + do. Cognate with Old Frisian misdūa ("to misdo"), Dutch misdoen ("to offend, do wrongly"), Middle Low German misdōn ("to misdo"), Middle High German missetuon ("to transgress, offend, blame"). More at mis-, do. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Then the king avaled his visor with a meek and noble countenance, and said, Madam, there shall none of my subjects misdo you nor your maidens, nor to none that to you belong, but the duke shall abide my judgment.”
“And the virgin commanded that he should not misdo him, but let him go, and anon he was converted, and ran through the city, and began to cry that Daria was a goddess.”
“What mighty men misdo, they can amend -- these are the fresh and original types on which our little poet is compelled to fall back for support and illustration to a scene so full of terrible suggestion and pathetic possibility.”
“Dame Hersent," said the lady, "thou wert best let such words be; for I have no desire to misdo of my body, of no such blood am I come.”
“I had said to her, perhaps that very day, 'I know not whether this book is worth anything, nor what the world will do with it, or misdo, or entirely forbear to do (as is likeliest), but this I could tell the world: You have not had for a hundred years any book that came more direct and flamingly sincere from the heart of a living man; do with it what you like, you -----!”
“Sir," saith Lucan, "Lancelot well knoweth that and you had taken no counsel but your own, he would not have been thus entreated, and I dare well say that never so long as he liveth will he misdo in aught towards you, for he hath in him much valour and loyalty, as many a time have you had good cause to know.”
“Sir," saith Lancelot, "Your amends love I much, and your love more than of any other; but never, please God, will I misdo you for aught that you may have done to me, for it is well known that I have not been in prison for no treason I have done, nor for no folly, but only for that it was your will.”
“Forsooth," said Sir Robin, "my wife is not come of such blood as that she shall misdo against me, and I may not believe in it nowise:”
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