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Misprision

 - 7 dictionary results

mis⋅pri⋅sion

1  [mis-prizh-uhn]
Use Misprision in a Sentence
–noun
1. a neglect or violation of official duty by one in office.
2. failure by one not an accessory to prevent or notify the authorities of treason or felony.
3. a contempt against the government, monarch, or courts, as sedition, lese majesty, or a contempt of court.
4. a mistake; misunderstanding.
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME < AF, OF mesprision, equiv. to mes- mis- 1 + prision < L prēnsiōn-, var. of prehēnsiōn- (s. of prehēnsiō) prehension

mis⋅pri⋅sion

2  [mis-prizh-uhn]
–noun
contempt or scorn.
Origin:
1580–90; misprise + -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Misprision
mis·pri·sion 1   (mĭs-prĭzh'ən)   
n.  

  1. Maladministration of public office.

  2. Neglect in preventing or reporting a felony or treason by one not an accessory.

  3. An act of sedition against a government or the courts.


[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, variant of Old French mesprison, from mespris, past participle of mesprendre, to make a mistake : mes-, wrongly; see mis-1 + prendre, to take, seize (from Latin prehendere, prēndere; see ghend- in Indo-European roots).]
mis·pri·sion 2   (mĭs-prĭzh'ən)   
n.  Contempt; disdain.

[mispris(e) (variant of misprize) + -ion.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

misprision 
"wrong action, a failure on the part of authority," 1425, from Anglo-Fr. mesprisioun "mistake, error, wrong action or speech," from O.Fr. mespris, pp. of mesprendre "to mistake, act wrongly," from mes- "wrongly" (see mis- (2)) + prendre "take," from L. prendere, contracted from prehendere "seize" (see prehensile). In 16c., misprision of treason was used for lesser degrees of guilt (those not subject to capital punishment), esp. for knowing of treasonable actions or plots but not informing the authorities. This led to the common supposition in legal writers that the word means "failure to denounce" a crime.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: mis·pri·sion
Pronunciation: mis-'pri-zh&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Anglo-French, error, wrongdoing, from Old French, from mesprendre to make a mistake, from mes- wrongly + prendre to take, from Latin prehendere to seize
1 : neglectful or wrongful performance of an official duty
2 : a clerical error in a legal proceeding that can be corrected in a summary proceeding
3 : the concealment of a treason or felony and failure to report it to the prosecuting authorities by a person who has not committed it <misprision of felony> <misprision of treason>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Encyclopedia

misprision

in law, criminal misconduct of various types. Concealment of a serious crime by one who knows of its commission but was not a party to it is misprision. Similarly, the failure of a citizen to attempt to prevent the perpetration of an offense can be characterized as misprision. (See also accomplice; accessory; and abettor.)

Learn more about misprision with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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