Miscarriage

Miscarriage

Noun · /ˌmɪs.ˈkær.ɪdʒ/

Definition

The spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before the foetus can survive independently outside the womb, typically before 24 weeks; in the phrase miscarriage of justice — a failure of the legal system to produce a just or correct verdict.

Origin

From mis- (wrongly, badly, from Old English mis-, related to Old Norse mis-, Gothic missa-) + carriage (the act of carrying, from Old North French cariage, from carier, to carry). The literal sense is a carrying that went wrong — the pregnancy failing to carry to term. The miscarriage of justice sense uses the same metaphor: justice failed to be carried through correctly. Both senses appearing in English from the 16th century.