Misfit
/ˈmɪs.fɪt/noun
A person or thing that does not fit in or conform.
Did you know?The word is transparently built from the Old English-style prefix mis- meaning “badly, wrongly” and fit, so it began as a physical mismatch before becoming a social identity.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*miss-
“wrongly, badly, amiss”
Old English
OE
missan
“to fail, miss, go wrong”
Old English
OE
fittan
“to fit, join, or be suitable”
Middle English
ME
misfitten
“to fit badly or improperly”
Modern English
English
misfit
“a person or thing that does not fit in or conform”