Mischief

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈmɪst͡ʃiːf/

Definitions

1. Playful or teasing behavior that causes minor trouble or annoyance ; harm or damage resulting from wrongful or malicious acts
2. Behavior meant to cause lighthearted trouble or nuisance ; injury or loss caused intentionally or carelessly
3. Acts of harmless prankishness or teasing ; physical or moral injury brought about by wrongful conduct

Etymology: Mischief began as a word for disaster rather than naughtiness. Middle English "myschef" and its relatives meant misfortune, harm, or calamity, and the sense of playful wrongdoing developed much later. The word came into English from Old French "meschief," which in turn was built from "meschever," meaning "to bring to grief." That verb combined "mes-," meaning "badly," with "chever," meaning "to come to a head" or "to happen." The second part of that verb carries a striking image. "Chever" descends from Vulgar Latin "*capare," itself from Latin "caput," meaning "head." So the idea underneath was something coming to a head, a bad outcome arriving at its peak. A word that once named a catastrophe has, over centuries, shrunk into the mild troublemaking of children and pranksters.

Synonyms: prank, trouble, naughtiness, wickedness, malice

Antonyms: obedience, goodness, virtue, honesty, integrity