English
mis-
Mis- comes from Proto-West Germanic *missa- ‘mis-, wrongly’, from Proto-Indo-European *mitˢtós ‘mutual, reciprocal’, and ultimately from *mey- ‘to change’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-1‘to change’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*mitˢtós1‘mutual, reciprocal’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*missa-1‘wrongly, badly, mis-’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*missa-1‘mis-, wrongly’reconstructed
- Englishtodaymis-1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English mis-
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-Wiktionary, English mis-‘to change’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*mitˢtósWiktionary, English mis-‘mutual, reciprocal’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*missa-Wiktionary, English mis-‘wrongly, badly, mis-’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*missa-Wiktionary, English mis-‘mis-, wrongly’reconstructed
- Englishtodaymis-Wiktionary, English mis-
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to change’
mean, community, common, met, minute, communication, mess, minister, commission, meal, minor, menu, mutual, communicate, ministry, immune, mere, communist, commit, min, ammunition, immunity, compromise, municipality, communal, mole, minus, missile, communion, communism, mural, ammo, mayhem, noodle, moor, commune, premise, remuneration, dismiss, intermittent, 80 more
Today it means
prefix Bad or wrong; badly or wrongly.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “mis-”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *mey- / mis-