misdemeanor

What it means

1. UShistoricalcriminal lawA lesser criminal act in most common law legal systems, generally punished less severely than a felony.

   criminal misdemeanor

   3 more examples

   He was charged with a misdemeanor rather than a felony.

   The offense is treated as a minor misdemeanor.

   charged with a misdemeanor

   Synonyms: petty crime

2. USAny act of misbehavior.

   petty misdemeanor

   1 more example

   Because of the mother's lack of affection and the judgments made by everybody around her, the child is in opposition to everybody. Her misdemeanors may be partly the expression of her inner revolt.

   Quoted in 2002, The Collected Clinical Works of Alfred Adler (page 32)

   Synonyms: delinquency, misdeed, wrongdoing, crime, delict, delinquency, error, malfeasance

In a sentence

He was charged with a misdemeanor rather than a felony.

Where it comes from

1. Proto-Indo-European*mey-?
2. Proto-Indo-European*meyth₂-
3. Proto-Germanic*missaz
4. Proto-Germanic*missa-
5. Proto-West Germanic*missa-
6. Old Englishmis-
7. Middle Englishmys-
8. Englishmis-
9. Englishdemeanor
10. Englishmisdemeanor

From mis- + demeanor.