Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
A lesser criminal act in most common law legal systems, generally punished less severely than a felony.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, historical
Qualifier: criminal law
Synonyms: petty crime
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Any act of misbehavior.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
Synonyms: delinquency, misdeed, wrongdoing, crime, delict, error, malfeasance, misdemeanor, misdoing, offense, peccadillo, sin, tort, tortfeasance, transgression, veniality, villainy, wrong
Antonyms: none provided
noun
a crime less serious than a felony
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: misdemeanour, infraction, violation, infringement
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: crime, offense, criminal offense, criminal offence, offence, law-breaking
Narrower terms: disorderly conduct, disorderly behavior, disturbance of the peace, breach of the peace, false pretense, false pretence, indecent exposure, public nudity, perjury, bearing false witness, lying under oath, sedition
History
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.
Across languages
39 source translations are retained for this English entry.
