different between misprision vs misprize

English

Alternative forms

• missprision (obsolete, rare)

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman mesprison, mesprisioun et al., from mespris + -ion.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /m?s?p???(?)n/

Noun

misprision (countable and uncountable, plural misprisions)

1. (law) Criminal neglect of duty or wrongful execution of official duties.
2. (law) The failure to give information about a crime that one knows to be taking place.

   misprision of a felony, of heresy, or of treason

3. Misinterpretation or misunderstanding.
   • 1595, Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, III - 2

     What hast thou done? thou hast mistaken quite

     And laid the love-juice on some true-love's sight:

     Of thy misprision must perforce ensue

     Some true love turn'd and not a false turn'd true.

   • 1984, Martin Amis, Money, Vintage 2005, p. 331:

     they have what men call self-belief and blame you for your misprisions in their dreams, they are conspiracy theorists, benevolent dictators […]

Usage notes

Negative misprision is misprision by neglect of duty, notably a duty to report information about a felony or treason. Positive misprision is maladministration or the commission of other serious offence falling short of actual felony or treason.

Translations

English

Alternative forms

• mesprise
• misprise

Etymology

From Middle French mespriser (verb), mespris (noun).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /m?s?p???z/ (verb)

Verb

misprize (third-person singular simple present misprizes, present participle misprizing, simple past and past participle misprized)

1. To despise or hold in contempt; to undervalue. [from 15th c.]
   • c. 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, First Folio 1621, III.1:

     Nature neuer fram'd a womans heart,

     Of prowder stuffe then that of Beatrice:

     Disdaine and Scorne ride sparkling in her eyes,

     Mis-prizing what they looke on […].

Noun

misprize (uncountable)

1. (obsolete, rare) Contempt. [16th-19th c.]
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, IV.9:

     He ment to make them know their follies prise, / Had not those two him instantly desired / T'asswage his wrath, and pardon their mesprise […].

Related terms

• misprision