missway

present singular third person missways · participle present misswaying · participle past misswayed · past misswayed

1. To sway or influence to an unfortunate result.

   Through misswaying, it seemed to decline.

   1603, John Davies, Microcosmos, page 60

   2 more examples

   The swiftness of motion or violent passions will missway our inclinations or propensions, though in themselves moderate, as far as the settled weight of an habituate inclination or custom.

   1844, Thomas Jackson, The Works of Thomas Jackson, D.D., page 509

   In particular, warning is given against the tendency, especially on the part of the uninformed (sometimes misinformed or misswayed ) public which in the end not only profits by but supports research, to emphasize, to expect, to reward disproportionately, the applications of undramatic, unspectacular, "endless" basic research.

   1956, American Practitioner and Digest of Treatment - Volume 7, page 1044