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misdeed

[mis-deed]
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noun
  1. an immoral or wicked deed.
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Origin of misdeed

before 900; Middle English misdede, Old English misdǣd. See mis-1, deed

Synonyms

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offense, transgression, fault.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

misbehaviorviolationinfringementtransgressionpeccadillooffensemisconductsinmiscuedirtfaultmisdemeanortrespasswrongvillainycriminalitymalefaction

Examples from the Web for misdeed

Historical Examples

  • And for that misdeed now I ensure you but death, for well have ye deserved it.

    Stories of King Arthur and His Knights

    U. Waldo Cutler

  • The perpetrator of the misdeed embarks on his career of defilement early.

  • Also, a blow or correction, as "you'll knap it," for some misdeed.

    The Sailor's Word-Book

    William Henry Smyth

  • They asked if Grettir had done this misdeed; but he said it had happened even as he had expected.

  • Therefore, someone must have discovered the misdeed and he was being cared for.

British Dictionary definitions for misdeed

misdeed

noun
  1. an evil or illegal action
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for misdeed

n.

Old English misdæd "misdeed, evil deed, sin," common Germanic compound (cf. Old Saxon misdad, Old Frisian misdede, Middle Dutch misdaet, German Missetat, Gothic missadeþs; see mis- (1) + deed (n.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper