Misdede

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An act of wrongdoing or sinful conduct, especially one committed in earlier times
2. A morally bad deed that breaks a law or moral code, a wicked action of the sort described in older writing
3. A wrongful action or transgression, the kind of offence once condemned as sinful or criminal

Etymology: "Deed" comes from Old English "dǣd," meaning an act or something done, and it is built on the same root as "do." It is related to German "Tat," which has the same sense. Its meaning was once neutral, so a deed could be good or bad, and the sense of a wicked act came from context. The prefix "mis-" came into English from Old English as well, carrying the sense of wrong, faulty, or amiss. It appears in other compounds like "mistake" and "misdo." Joined to "deed," it marked an action that went wrong morally. In Middle English the word was spelled "misdede," with the final -e that many words of that period kept, and it was used for sinful acts.