misfortunen.
/ˌmɪsˈfɔːtʃuːn/, /ˌmɪsˈfɔːtʃ(ə)n/, /ˌmɪsˈfɔːtjuːn/, U.S. /ˌmɪsˈfɔrtʃ(ə)n/ 1.
a. Adverse fortune; bad luck.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > calamity or misfortune > [noun] > misfortune or ill-luck
un-i-limpOE
unlimpc1175
mishap?c1225
unhap?c1225
mishappeningc1230
ames-ace?a1300
misadventure?a1300
ill hailc1300
misauntera1325
untiminga1325
miscasec1325
mischancec1325
misfall1340
misfarea1387
casec1390
infortunea1393
mishapping?a1400
unchancea1400
disadventurea1413
mischieving1432
infortuny?a1439
encumbermentc1440
misfortune1441
evil hail?c1450
malfortunea1470
unhappiness1470
maleurtee?1473
malheur?1473
evil health1477
unfortune1483
wanfortunea1500
disfortune1509
wanhap1513
ill, evil ch(i)eving?1518
mislucka1530
ill luck1548
unfortunacy?c1550
evilfare1556
unluck1556
hard luck1567
bad luck1575
miscasualty1588
disgrace1590
wanchance1599
disventure1612
misaccident1620
miscarriagec1625
hard lines1722
mishanter1754
malefit1755
miscanter1781
hard cheese1854
hard cheddar1893
schlimazel1911
tough luck1912
snake eyes1918
catch-arse1970
1441 in H. Nicolas Proc. & Ordinances Privy Council (1835) V. 163 (MED) Hou grete a losse it..wold be unto þe Kyng yif þat any mysfortune come þerto.
c1503 R. Arnold Chron. f. lxv/2 For his myssefortue they wepe and waile.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms lxxii. 5 They come in no misfortune like other folke.
1579 Rastell's Expos. Termes Lawes (new ed.) 62 When any man by mysfortune is slaine by an horse or by a cart.
1640 W. Habington Queen of Arragon ii. i, in W. C. Hazlitt Dodsley's Sel. Coll. Old Eng. Plays (1875) XIII. 355 Misfortune brings Sorrow enough; 'tis envy to ourselves T'augment it by prediction.
1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. i. 11 The common misfortune of Princes, that in so substantial a part of their Happyness..as depended upon their Marriage, Themselves had never any part.
1742 Act 15 Geo. II c. 30 Persons who have the Misfortune to become Lunaticks.
1876 J. B. Mozley Serm. preached Univ. of Oxf. ix. 222 Misfortune, adversity, soften the human heart.
1988 A. Desai Baumgartner's Bombay i. 21 There was no reason why he should be stirred by..his misfortune.
b. An instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > calamity or misfortune > [noun] > misfortune or ill-luck > instance of misfortune or ill-luck
unsitheOE
evila1300
mischiefa1325
illa1340
adversity1340
infortunea1393
infortunity1477
cladec1480
misfortunec1485
fortune1490
trouble?1521
stumble1547
infelicity1575
disgrace1622
unfortunacya1662
disgracia1740
miscanter1781
reversal1846
avalanche1850
rough spin1919
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 45 Quhen the romaynis herd of that mysfortune, thai war sa wa.
a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. ccxxviii. f. cxlixv After which season..fell to the Frenshe Kynge many & dyuerse mysfortunys.
1553 R. Eden tr. S. Münster Treat. Newe India sig. Lvjv A misfortune which chaunced in the goulfe of the sea Atlantike.
a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) II. 12 Nor shall our past Misfortunes more Be charg'd upon the ancient Score.
1767 T. Gray Let. 19 Jan. in Corr. (1971) III. 948 I have many desagrémens, that surround me: they have not dignity enough to be called misfortunes: but they feel heavy on my mind.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall III. xxx. 177 He might perhaps be affected by the personal misfortunes of his generous kinsmen.
1860 J. W. Warter Sea-board & Down II. 181 To be deprived of Burial..has ever been looked upon as amongst the greatest of misfortunes.
1987 M. Flanagan Trust vii. 53 You have had your own misfortunes, even disasters.
c. Misfortune personified.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > calamity or misfortune > [noun] > misfortune or ill-luck > embodiment of
misfortune1573
gremlin1929
1573 I. Whitney Sweet Nosgay sig. Cv Misfortune standeth at the dore.
1595 G. Markham Most Honorable Trag. Sir R. Grinuile cxxxix Misfortune hearing this presage of life.
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice ii. iv. 35 And neuer dare misfortune crosse her foote, Vnlesse she doe it vnder this excuse. View more context for this quotation
1650 E. Waller Poems (1664) 180 Here weeps Misfortune, and there triumphs Crime.
1747 T. Gray Ode Eton Coll. 6 Black Misfortune's baleful Train!
1838 E. Bulwer-Lytton Leila i. ii. 14 Misfortune set upon my brow her dark and fated stamp.
1988 M. Sendak Caldecott & Co. (1989) i. 100 He is comforted by his dream, or vision, of graceful, winged elephants chasing Misfortune away.
2. regional and colloquial (euphemistic). to fall into (also have, meet with) a misfortune: to become pregnant outside marriage; to have an illegitimate child. Hence also: (the fact of having) an illegitimate child.
ΚΠ
1756 Session Papers in Sc. National Dict. (1965) VI. (at cited word) Your Petitioner fell into a Misfortune not uncommon to Women of her low Rank.
1801 Har'st Rig (ed. 2) liii. 19 She wi' a Misfortune met, And had a Bairn.
1835 J. W. Carlyle Lett. I. 42 It would be difficult for me to say that an Annandale woman's virtue is the worse for a misfortune.
1836 F. Marryat Mr. Midshipman Easy I. iii. 18 ‘If you please, ma'am, I had a misfortune, ma'am,’ replied the girl, casting down her eyes.
a1871 T. Carlyle Reminisc. (1881) II. 156 A special ‘misfortune’ (so they delicately name it), being of Esther's own producing. ‘Misfortune’ in the shape ultimately of a solid tall ditcher.
a1881 T. Carlyle in New Lett. Jane W. Carlyle (1903) I. 59 [‘Wee Jen’] Ann Cook's ‘misfortune’.
1881 A. Trollope Dr. Wortle's School I. iv. 75 Why should he be doomed to drag her with him as a log tied to his foot, seeing that a woman with a misfortune is condemned by the general voice of the world.
1953 M. Traynor Eng. Dial. Donegal 186 Misfortune, the giving birth to an illegitimate child.
Phrases
[Compare Middle French ung meschief ne vient point seul (14th cent.).] In various proverbial uses, esp. misfortunes never come singly.
ΚΠ
1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. ccxxxvi For wyse men sayth, and oft it fallyth so..That one myshap fortuneth neuer alone.]
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Malheur One misfortune succeeds in the necke of another.
1622 J. Mabbe in tr. M. Alemán Rogue i. 29 (margin) Misfortunes seldome come alone.
1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. i. 28 Let the Fault or Misfortune be what, or whence it will.
1717 G. Redpath in Burns Mem. Wodrow (1838) I. p. vii Which is not our crime but our misfortune.
1717 J. Addison tr. Ovid Metamorphoses iii, in Poet. Misc.: 5th Pt. 521 You'll find it a Misfortune, not a Fault.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge xxxii. 117 Misfortunes, saith the adage, never come singly.
1862 B. Brodie Psychol. Inq. II. iii. 83 The overabundance of leisure..is often a misfortune rather than a fault.
1931 L. Charteris Wanted for Murder v. 298 Blessings, like misfortunes, never come singly. There was even a packet of Havana cigarettes..tucked away behind the bath salts.
1981 G. Mitchell Death-cap Dancers v. 54 ‘The car..skidded and hit the tree.’ ‘Misfortunes never come singly.’
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† misfortunev.
Obsolete.
1.
a. intransitive. To come to grief, miscarry.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > calamity or misfortune > happen unfortunately [verb (intransitive)] > suffer misfortune or a mishap
mishappenc1230
mishapc1385
mistidec1390
spill1390
misbetide?a1400
misfalla1400
mistime1402
misfortune?a1425
misbefallc1450
miscapea1535
mischancea1542
to come home by unhappinessc1555
mislucka1617
buy1825
pratfall1940
schlimazel1963
?a1425 (?a1350) T. Castleford Chron. (1996) I. 4590 Brenne mysfortunyd on þe se; The kyng of Danmark takyn was he.
1599 in J. Barmby Churchwardens' Accts. Pittington (1888) 276 Whatsoever shall happen to faille or misforten about the clock.
1615 E. Howes in J. Stow Ann. Pref. 7 The Queene after mariage was conceiued with childe, but it misfortuned.
b. transitive. Of a person: to happen by mischance to do something. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > calamity or misfortune > happen unfortunately [verb (intransitive)] > suffer misfortune or a mishap > have the misfortune to do something
mishapa1387
misfortune1533
mischance1600
1533 T. More Answere Poysened Bk. iv. i. f. clxxxi As for this argument of myne..I mysse fortuned to make so feble, that he taketh euyn a pleasure to playe with it.
2. intransitive. Of an event or with non-referential it as subject (with dative of person affected): to happen unfortunately.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > calamity or misfortune > happen unfortunately [verb (intransitive)]
mistideOE
misfall1340
mishapc1385
mishappenc1440
misfortune1466
mischance1552
misbefall1591
1466–7 in Manners & Househ. Expenses Eng. (1841) 173 It mesfortened me..to hurte my lege.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) III. 1177 Hit mysfortuned hym to sle sir Gaherys and sir Gareth..for they were unarmed and unwares.
1533 T. More Apologye f. 94 v Whych thynge to se so mysfortune betwene any two crysten folke, is a thynge myche to be lamented.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2002; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
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n.1441
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