Misgive
/ˌmɪsˈɡɪv/noun
To cause someone to feel doubt, unease, or apprehension.
Did you know?Misgive is an old native English compound built from the intensifying/pejorative prefix mis- and give, so the unease it names is treated like something almost physically handed over.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*gibaną
“to give”
Old English
OE
misgiefan
“to give wrongly or in the wrong way; to cause doubt”
Middle English
ME
misgeven
“to give amiss, to inspire doubt or suspicion”
15th Century
English
misgive
“to cause misgiving or apprehension”
Modern English
English
misgive
“to cause a feeling of doubt or unease”
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