What does misprision mean?
Misprision most commonly denotes the concealment of a serious crime or the failure to report one that is known about. It is a legal term and does not usually imply that the person carried out the underlying offence; rather, it concerns the failure to bring it to the authorities or to conceal relevant facts. In older and less common usage, misprision can also mean a mistake, misunderstanding, or misrepresentation. The word is useful because it distinguishes deliberate or knowing concealment from simple ignorance and from participation in the original crime. Its best-known legal application is in charges involving the concealment of felony, although the precise elements and penalties vary by jurisdiction. Outside legal contexts, the word is uncommon and may sound formal, archaic, or intentionally elevated.
The failure to report or the concealment of a known felony or other serious crime.
"The suspect was charged with misprision for hiding evidence connected with the robbery."
This is the principal legal sense. The offence usually requires knowledge of the underlying crime and some conduct that obscures or prevents its discovery.
A mistake, misunderstanding, or misrepresentation.
"The old documents treat the discrepancy as an instance of administrative misprision."
This sense is archaic and much less common than the legal sense; it is often encountered in historical or formal writing.
The plural is used when referring to multiple instances of concealment or failure to report a crime, though the word is uncommon outside legal writing.
"The court heard several misprisions alleged against members of the organisation."
A person can be charged with misprision for helping a crime stay hidden—even if they did not commit it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does misprision come from?
Misprision comes through Anglo-French mesprision from Latin misinterpretatio, meaning a misinterpretation or mistake. The term was later extended in legal usage to mean the concealment of a felony or the failure to report it. Its elements reflect Latin missus, meaning sent or expressed, and praehendere, meaning to seize or take hold, related to words such as prehend and comprehend.
How misprision is actually used
The legal sense is the dominant modern use and is chiefly associated with serious criminal cases. The older, more general sense meaning a mistake or misrepresentation is now rare and may sound formal or archaic.
Easily confused with misprision
Misprision is the conduct of concealing a felony or failing to report it, whereas misprision of felony is the specific statutory offence of knowingly concealing that a felony has been committed.
Malignancy refers to the harmful nature of a situation or substance, while misprision refers specifically to concealing a serious crime or, rarely, to a mistake or misrepresentation.