What does misdo mean?
Misdo is an uncommon English verb meaning to do or perform something wrongly. It takes a task, job, duty, or piece of work as its object and occurs especially in formal, literary, or deliberately archaic prose. Its principal forms are misdoes, misdoing, misdid, and misdone, with misdid serving as the past tense and past participle and misdone also used adjectivally. For example, "one careless change can misdo the work of months" suggests that a small error has damaged otherwise sound work. The word often has a stronger implication than merely making a mistake: what has been done is faulty, ineffective, or harmful. In ordinary contemporary speech, speakers are much more likely to say "do something wrongly," "botch it," or "mess it up." Misdo remains useful in concise, emphatic writing, particularly when emphasizing the serious consequences of a bad action.
verbTo do or perform something wrongly; to perform a task, action, or piece of work incorrectly.
- To do or perform something wrongly or incorrectly.
"One careless change could misdo the work of months."
"The apprentice misdid the job and had to begin again."
"They misdid the survey and published conclusions that could not be trusted."
One careless action can misdo months of careful work.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does misdo come from?
Misdo is an English formation combining the prefix mis- with do. The prefix is native Germanic and conveys the sense "wrongly" or "badly," while do descends from Old English dōn. The compound therefore developed with the literal sense "do wrongly," and related English formations such as miscast and misfit likewise use mis- to indicate an incorrect or unsuccessful result.
Related word forms
How misdo is actually used
Rare and literary in modern English, with an old-fashioned flavor. It is normally transitive and often implies that an otherwise sound piece of work has been damaged or rendered ineffective.