amiss

English

Etymology

From a- +‎ miss.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /əˈmɪs/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪs

Adjective

amiss (comparative more amiss, superlative most amiss)

1. (chiefly predicative) Wrong; faulty; out of order; improper or otherwise incorrect.

   He suspected something was amiss.

   Something amiss in the arrangements had distracted the staff.

   • 1722, William Wollaston, The Religion of Nature Delineated:

     His wisdom and virtue cannot always rectify that which is amiss in himself or his circumstances.

   • 1836, Charles Joseph La Trobe, The Rambler in Mexico:

     Moreover, all were furnished with carbines and cartridge boxes, and the leader was armed with a sabre with a leather sheath. This was not so much amiss, and would do very well at a distance: but during the two hours' halt at the village aforesaid, I took it into my head, while the owners were enjoying their siesta under the shade of the gateway, just to stride in among them, and take a nearer inspection of the weapons.

   • 2009, Robert Perrucci, Carolyn Cummings Perrucci, America at Risk: The Crisis of Hope, Trust, and Caring:

     There is a strong feeling across the land that something is amiss in America. You sometimes hear about these feelings when people discuss their concerns about how the baby boom generation is going to bankrupt our social security or Medicare programs, or about the growing size of the national debt that will be paid for by future generations.

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

amiss (not comparable)

1. (archaic) Wrongly; mistakenly
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     The fire seven times tried this:
     Seven times tried that judgement is,
     That did never choose amiss.
     Some there be that shadows kiss:
     Such have but a shadow's bliss.
     There be fools alive, I wis,
     Silver'd o'er; and so was this.
     I will ever be your head:
     So be gone: you are sped.

   • 1856, J. W. Redhouse, An English and Turkish Dictionary‎, page xxvi:

     We shall not do amiss to notice, also, that in ordinary conversation, a few words are used as Turkish singulars, which are, in reality, Arabic plurals; but this is not correct in writing.

   • 1899, The Laxdaela Saga (translated by Muriel A. C. Press) Chapter 44

     Then Hrefna said she would coif herself with it, and Thurid said she had better, and Hrefna did so. When Kalf saw that he gave her to understand that she had done amiss; and bade her take it off at her swiftest. "For that is the one thing that we, Kjartan and I, do not own in common."

2. Astray.
3. Imperfectly.

Noun

amiss (plural amisses)

1. (obsolete) Fault; wrong; an evil act, a bad deed.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. , London: [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     Now by my head (said Guyon) much I muse, / How that same knight should do so foule amis […] .

   • 1635, John Donne, His parting from her:

     Yet Love, thou'rt blinder then thy self in this, / To vex my Dove-like friend for my amiss […] .

Further reading

• “amiss”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “amiss”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Masis, Massi, Samis, Simas, Sisam, missa, saims, simas