Myscreaunce

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A departure from the accepted faith, holding a belief that the religious authorities regard as false or heretical
2. Adherence to a mistaken or unorthodox creed that contradicts the teachings of the established church
3. Misbelief in religious doctrine, meaning a faith that falls outside what is officially sanctioned and orthodox

Etymology: English took this noun from Old French "mescreance," meaning disbelief or wrong belief, which combines the prefix "mes-," meaning "wrongly" (the same prefix found in "mischief"), with "creance," belief or trust. Both trace back to Latin "credere," "to believe," which also gave English "credence" and "credit." The word was once a religious charge. Its close relative "miscreant" was first used of an unbeliever or heretic, and only later came to mean a villain or wrongdoer. Such words often carried sharp moral accusations, so that to call someone a misbeliever was to call them an enemy of the faith. The noun has since largely dropped out of ordinary use, and it survives mostly in older writing and in dictionaries.

Synonyms: misbelief, heresy, error

Antonyms: belief, faith