mischief

mischief · noun¹

1. Latin · derived fromcaput“head”
2. Vulgar Latin · derived from*capare
3. Old French · derived frommeschief
4. Middle English · inherited frommyschef
5. English todaymischief

From Middle English myschef, meschef, meschief, mischef, from Old French meschief, from meschever (“to bring to grief”), from mes- (“badly”) + chever (“happen; come to a head”), from Vulgar Latin *capare, from Latin caput (“head”).

mischief · verb²

1. Old French · derived frommeschever
2. Middle English · inherited frommyschefen
3. English todaymischief

From Middle English myschefen, myscheven, from Old French meschever.

Words from the same roots