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Now
rare (
arch.,
poet., and
regional in later use).
Brit. /
m
s
di
m/, U.S. /msdim/ Forms: see MIS- prefix1 and DEEM v. ; also ME misdenisse (3rd singular, transmission error). [< MIS- prefix1 + DEEM v. Compare Old Icelandic misd
ma.]
1. a. intr. To form a wrong judgement, be mistaken; to hold a mistaken opinion. Freq. with of. Obs.
c1395 CHAUCER Merchant's Tale 2410 Ful many a man weneth to se a thyng, And it is al another than it
semeth
He that mysconceyueth, he mysdemeth [
v.rr. mysse demeth, mys he demeth].
a1540 (
c1460) G. H
AY tr.
Bk. King Alexander 290 Thair rais a sclander..Off quhilk the quene was gretumlie misdemit.
1629 H. BURTON Truth's Triumph 225 Misdeeming and doubting of the remission of sinnes.
1667 MILTON Paradise Lost IX. 301 Misdeem not then, If such affront I labour to avert From thee alone, which [etc.].
1779 W. MASON Eng. Garden III. 536 Whom elder Thales, and the Bard of Thebes Held first of things terrestrial; nor misdeem'd.
1791 W. COWPER tr. Homer
Iliad in
Iliad & Odyssey I.
I. 528, I..much misdeem Of my endeavour, or my prayer shall speed.
1814 H. F. CARY tr. Dante
Inferno xxxii. 118 Farther on, If I misdeem not, Soldanieri bides.
1839 WORDSWORTH Mem. Tour Scotl. 1803 iii, Leaving each unquiet theme Where gentlest judgments may misdeem.
1884 Bible (
R.V.
)
Deut. xxxii. 27 Lest their adversaries should misdeem.
b. trans. To have a wrong opinion of, be mistaken in one's view of. Obs.
1570 (
c1478) H
ARY Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Lekprevik)
II. 352 Be war that
e do nocht misdeme my taille.
?1593 G. FLETCHER Licia To Rdr. sig. A4
v, Men unfitte to knowe what love meanes; deluded fondlie with their owne conceit, misdeeming so divine a fancie.
1616 N. BRETON Hate of Treason sig. C2, While Wisedomes care can never truth misdeem.
1677 R. GILPIN Dæmonol. Sacra II. viii. 335 Though such Men are under God's Favour, yet they misdeem it, and think God is angry with them.
1785 W. COWPER Task IV. 685 Hence too the field of glory, as the world misdeems it.
1848 E. BULWER-LYTTON Harold I.
II. ii. 119 Nor misdeem me, that I, humble, unmitred priest, should be thus bold.
1875 J. R. LOWELL Under Old Elm VIII, If ever with distempered voice or pen We have misdeemed thee, here we take it back.
c. trans. To suppose mistakenly (that something is the case). Usu. with clause as object. Obs.
1589 E. H
AYES in R. Hakluyt
Princ. Navigations III. 681 Least any man should..misdeeme that God doth resist all attempts intended that way.
a1599 SPENSER View State Ireland in J. Ware
Two Hist. Ireland (1633) 1, I would rather thinke the cause of this evill..to proceed rather of the unsoundnes of the Councels..which [etc.]..then of any such..appointed of God, as you misdeeme.
1753 G. WEST tr. Pindar
Iphigenia in Tauris II, in
Odes of Pindar 163 [He] stabb'd and wounded some on ev'ry Side, Misdeeming that he with the Furies fought.
1817 SHELLEY Laon & Cythna XII. x. 255 He misdeems That he is wise, whose wounds do only bleed Inly for self.
1852 P. J. BAILEY Festus (ed. 5) 223 He by..instigating all the soul's vain aims, Misdeems to cause thee lose God.
d. trans. To suppose (a person or thing) erroneously to be (something else); to mistake (a thing) for another. Sometimes with adjective or phrase as object. Obs.
1668 DRYDEN Secret-love V. 59 My grace to Philocles mis-deem'd my love!
1762 J. D
ELAP Hecuba I. 21 Your kindness shou'd misdeem poor Hecuba An object fit for pity.
1785 R. POLWHELE Epist. from Rev. William M--n 3 By thy Foes misdeem'd lukewarm.
1829 R. SOUTHEY All for Love VI. 65 Thy thoughts possest With one too painful theme, Their own imaginations For reality misdeem.
1835 R. C. TRENCH Look, dearest, what Glory Sonnet, If, having shared the light, we should misdeem That light our own.
1872 A. T. DE VERE At Cashel in
Legends St. Patrick 65 Demons misdeemed for gods.
1885 R. BRIDGES Eros & Psyche I. ii. 1 The wealth which men misdeem of much avail.
2. a. trans. To form an unfavourable judgement of, think evil of; to censure. Obs.
a1400 (
a1325)
Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) 27742
Wra
..is a crewel
ing & crouse,
at droues mani man in hous..fliting [he] shindis & misdemis [
a1400 Vesp. misdenisse].
c1450 (
c1380)
CHAUCER House of Fame 92 Sende hem al..that take hit wel and skorne hyt noght, Ne hyt mysdemen in her thoght.
c1480 (
a1400)
SS. Simon & Jude 370 in W. M. Metcalfe
Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 218 Ws afferis til helpe saklas men, bot to mysdeme na man kene.
?1499 J. SKELTON Bowge of Courte sig. Aiv
v, The seconde was Suspecte whiche that dayly Mysdempte eche man.
1509 A. BARCLAY tr. S. Brant
Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. lxix, Whan he by Jelowsy, His wyfe suspectyth..Or hir mysdemyth and kepyth in stratly.
1590 SPENSER Faerie Queene I. vii. 49 Till all unweeting an Enchaunter..made him to misdeeme My loyalty.
1590 SPENSER Faerie Queene III. x. 29 As much disdeigning to be so misdempt, Or a war-monger to be basely nempt.
1629 J. GAULE Practique Theories Christs Predict. 96 His Iealousie hasts not to reuenge, while he cannot but misdeeme her.
1767 W. L. LEWIS tr. Statius
Thebaid II. 370 He..saw his Friends misdeem'd in Crouds resort, To bask beneath the Sunshine of the Court.
1774 T. HULL Henry II II. 25 Misdeem me not, great Queen; I have revolv'd Each Circumstance, with nicest Scrutiny.
b. intr. To form an unfavourable judgement, think ill. Usu. with of. Obs.
1408 (
c1395)
Bible (
Wycliffite, L.V.
)
(Fairf.) Num. xiv. 11 [
a1425 Royal Hou long schal this puple bacbite me] ether mysdeme [L.
detrahet] of me.
1496 Dives & Pauper (de Worde)
I. xlv. 86/2 To mysdeme of his euen crysten.
1548 N. UDALL et al. tr. Erasmus
Matt. in
Paraphr. New Test. i. 19 True honesty is neyther redy to misdeme, nor hasty to reuenge.
1671 MILTON Paradise Regain'd I. 424 What but thy malice mov'd thee to misdeem Of [ri]ghteous Job.
a1866 J. KEBLE Misc. Poems (1869) 193 Accept them, not misdeeming of their worth.
3. a. intr. To suspect something evil; to be suspicious or mistrustful. In later use arch. or regional.
a1450 Generides (Helm.) (1865) 7212 Jewel thoght of treason and tray..he mysdemed in this case Whan she cam not of so long while.
1556 J. HEYWOOD Spider & Flie iii. 25 Hath fortune wrought my foes at this time hither, And not so much as warnde me to mis~deeme.
1561 T. NORTON &
T. SACKVILLE Gorboduc I. i. 39 in J. M. Manly
Specimens Pre-Shakespearean Drama (1897), If thinges do so succede As now my ielous mind misdemeth sore.
1596 T. LODGE Margarite of Amer. sig. F
v, The Emperour conceiuing new suspitions vpon this second assault, beganne to misdeeme.
1841 C. H. HARTSHORNE Salopia Antiqua Gloss. s.v.,
Misdeem, to be suspicious, illiberal.
1881 S. EVANS Evans's Leicestershire Words (new ed.) 194
Misdeem, to suspect.
1908 J. PAYNE Carol & Cadence 121 The man cried out, 'Twixt hope and doubt, Misdeeming of his eyes.
b. trans. To have a suspicion or inkling of; to suspect the existence or occurrence of (something bad). Obs.
1450 Rolls of Parl. V. 212/1 William Kyng knowyng by the answers of the seid William Tresham, that nothing mysdemed, what tyme and which wey he purposed to ride, therof made notice.
1516 R. FABYAN New Chron. Eng. (1811)
V. cxvii. 92 The Kynge not mysdemynge eny thyng of this Conspyred treason.
a1556 N. UDALL Ralph Roister Doister (?1566)
IV. iii. sig. F.iij
v, Surely, this fellowe misdeemeth some yll in me.
a1607 T. BRIGHTMAN Brightman Redivivus (1647) iii. 78 While wee were in Ignorance, we lay secure in our sin,..never mis-deeming our estate.
1607 E. TOPSELL Hist. Fovre-footed Beastes 226 The Fox..misdeemeth no harme, and entereth into the hiue which is wrought close into the mouth of his den.
c. trans. to misdeem (a person) for 
: to suspect to be 
. Obs.
c1500 Melusine (1895) 265 [He] was so Lyke a Sarasyn that no man mysdymed hym for other than a Sarasyn.
d. trans. With clause as object: to suspect (that something is the case). Obs.
1534 J. HEYWOOD Play of Loue sig. Biv, Anone she mysdemed That I was not meryly dysposed.
1591 H. SAVILE tr. Tacitus
Hist. in
Ende of Nero I. xxviii. 17 [He] gaue most men to misdeeme by his dealing, that he was somewhat of counsel with the case [L.
præbuit plerisque suspicionem conscientiæ].
1600 E. FAIRFAX tr. Tasso
Godfrey of Bulloigne X. xxxviii. 187 Nor say I this for that I ought misdeeme That Egypts promis'd succours faile vs might.
DERIVATIVES
misdeemed adj. Obs. rare censured, called into question.
1616 S. S. Honest Lawyer IV. sig. G4
v, My heart misgaue me thus: this diuels tongue Would worke my *misdeem'd innocence some wrong.
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