Misfire
/ˌmɪsˈfaɪər/noun
To fail to ignite, discharge, or function as intended.
Did you know?The prefix mis- is an old Germanic “wrongly, badly” marker, so misfire is basically a word for an action that goes off-course before it even fully happens.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
mis-
“wrongly, badly, amiss”
Old English
OE
fȳr
“fire”
Middle English
ME
misfiren
“to go off badly; fail to ignite or discharge properly”
16th Century
English
misfire
“to fail in firing or in effect”
Modern English
English
misfire
“to fail to ignite, discharge, or produce the intended result”