misgreet

English

Etymology

From Middle English *misgreten, from Old English misgrētan (“to affront; insult”), equivalent to mis- +‎ greet.

Verb

misgreet (third-person singular simple present misgreets, present participle misgreeting, simple past and past participle misgreeted)

1. To greet wrongly; (by extension) to affront or insult
   • 1841, Sharon Turner, The history of the Anglo-Saxons from the earliest period to the Norman conquest, Volume 2:

     If any of the gild misgreet another, let him pay a syster of honey, unless with two friends he can clear himself.

   • 1903, Ottilia Adelina Liljencrantz, The Ward of King Canute: A Romance of the Danish Conquest:

     He said with slow contempt, " I grant that it is well fitting the Gainer's deeds that his men should flinch from the light — " " Misgreet me not," the mocking voice interrupted.

   • 2013 (1881), James W. Redhouse, The Mesnevi of Mevlana (Our Lord) Jelalu-'D-Din, Muhammed, Er-Rumi:

     Tears poured forth by lovers at His adored feet, Are pearls ; though we're used them as tears to misgreet.

Derived terms

• misgreeting

Anagrams

• germiest