mishave

M3I1S1H4A1V4E1

verb

To misbehave or misconduct (oneself); do wrong.

OriginMiddle English *mishaven ← Old English *mishabban →
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Meanings

verbmishave (third-person singular simple present mishaves, present participle mishaving, simple past and past participle mishaved)

present singular third person mishaves · participle present mishaving · participle past mishaved · past mishaved · alternative mishaif

  1. intransitiveobsoletereflexiveTo misbehave or misconduct (oneself); do wrong.

    It is agreed […] that if anie servaunte […] shall by fighting, quarrelling or other unsemelie maner at anie time herafter misdemeane or mishave himself and therof be ones monished or warned […]

    1567, quoted in 1997, C. S. Knighton, Acts of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, 1543-1609 (page 28)

Origin

  1. Old English*mishabban
  2. Middle English*mishaven
  3. Englishmishave

From Middle English *mishaven, from Old English *mishabban, attested in derivative mishabbende (“having ill”), equivalent to mis- + have.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

mishave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mishave

MLA

“mishave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mishave. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mishave,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mishave.

Source: mishave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.