MISDEMEANORS

Noun

misdemeanors

plural of misdemeanor

Source: Wiktionary


MISDEMEANOR

Mis`de*mean"or, n.

1. Ill behavior; evil conduct; fault. Shak.

2. (Law)

Definition: A crime less than a felony. Wharton.

Note: As a rule, in the old English law, offenses capitally punishable were felonies; all other indictable offenses were misdemeanors. In common usage, the word crime is employed to denote the offenses of a deeper and more atrocious dye, while small faults and omissions of less consequence are comprised under the gentler name of misdemeanors. Blackstone. The distinction, however, between felonies and misdemeanors is purely arbitrary, and is in most jurisdictions either abrogated or so far reduced as to be without practical value. Cf. Felony. Wharton.

Syn.

– Misdeed; misconduct; misbehavior; fault; trespass; transgression.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

16 January 2025

BOOK

(noun) a collection of rules or prescribed standards on the basis of which decisions are made; “they run things by the book around here”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.

coffee icon