Skip to content
Vinony

misdemeanor

noun

  1. "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems
L324009 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˌmɪsdɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey-? Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂-der. Proto-Germanic *missaz Proto-Germanic *missa- Proto-West Germanic *missa- Old English mis- Middle English mys- English mis- English demeanor English misdemeanor From mis- + demeanor.

  1. A lesser criminal act in most common law legal systems, generally punished less severely than a felony.

    “He was charged with a misdemeanor rather than a felony.”

    “The offense is treated as a minor misdemeanor.”

  2. Any act of misbehavior.

    “petty misdemeanor”

    “Because of the mother's lack of affection and the judgments made by everybody around her, the child is in opposition to everybody. Her misdemeanors may be partly the expression of her inner revolt.”