Mischief

Mischief

Noun · /ˈmɪs.tʃɪf/

Definition

Playful, often minor wrongdoing or naughtiness, especially by children; behaviour intended to cause annoyance or trouble without serious harm; more seriously, actual harm or injury caused to a person or their property; in Scots law, criminal mischief — wilful damage to property.

Origin

From Old French meschief (misfortune, injury, calamity), from meschever (to come to an unfortunate end), from mes- (wrongly, from Vulgar Latin *minus, less) + chef (head, end, outcome, from Latin caput, head). The compound thus means a bad head or bad outcome. The word entered English in the 14th century with the serious sense of harm or misfortune. The lighter sense — naughtiness, playful trouble-making — developed by the 16th century and is now the dominant register in everyday use.