Middle English Dictionary Entry
misaventūr(e n.
Entry Info
| Forms | misaventūr(e n. Also misaventour(e, -adventure, missawenture, misseaventure, -adventure, misauntre, -aunter, -anter, missauntour, -auntre, -aunter & mesaventur(e, -aventour, -adventur, -aventer, messaventur, -ventour, meseventure, mesaunture, -auntre, -auntir, -anter, messauntre, -auntere, -anture, -antoure, maisauntour. |
| Etymology | From aventūre n. & OF mesaventure. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A mishap, piece of bad fortune, an unlucky accident, bad experience; calamity, fatal accident; also fig.; (b) misfortune, adversity, bad luck; harm, damage, pain; adversite (disese, mischef, mishap, sorwe, wrecchednesse) and ~; (c) at (bi, thurgh) ~, by mischance, unfortunately; bidden ~, to curse (the time of an unhappy event); don ~, wreak havoc (on sb. or sth.); thinken ~, plot trouble (for sb.), have evil designs (on sb.); yeven ~, do (sb.) harm, requite (sb.); wicchecraft and ~, magic charms, occult art; (d) in imprecatory phrases and exclamations; god yeve ~, moche ~, with (mischaunce and) ~, etc.
Associated quotations
a
- c1300 SLeg.(LdMisc 108)364/11 : Muche reuþe was into al þat lond of þis misauenture.
- a1325 SLeg.Pilate (Corp-C 145)242 : Þer ne wende noman þer vorþ..Þat he nas lame oþer wod, oþer som messauntre him gan bitide.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)7711 : Richard is o neueu brec þere is nekke..As..is hors spurnde; Þe vnriȝt ido to poueremen to such mesaunture [vrr. mysauntre; mesauenture; myschaunce] turnde.
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)5814 : His douhter..biheld þis misauentour al.
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)6794 : Þer lopen on gode hors of priis..Þis mesauentour for to aspie.
- ?1403 Yk.BPrayer(1) (Harv Widener 1)65/16 : Pray for all our parischyns, whar-so thai be on land or on water, that god saue thaim fra al missaunters.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)3.216 : Late prudence kepe þe in a mene..Þat oure enmys of þi mysauenture Reioysshe nat.
- a1425(c1300) Assump.Virg.(1) (Add 10036)136/889 : Ne none mys auenture schal befalle..In stede þer þis vie is rad.
- a1425(?c1350) Ywain (Glb E.9)2413 : It war a misaventure Þat so gentil a creature Sold ever so foul hap byfall To be defouled with a thrall.
- a1425 Arth.& M.(LinI 150)324/1058 : He scholde heom telle what he weore And what mesanter brouȝte him þore.
- c1450(c1440) Scrope Othea (StJ-C H.5)50/24 : Be-cause that be litill occasion happith so grete mysaventurys..he scholde [not] yeve grete feith to a litel tokene.
- c1450(c1440) Scrope Othea (StJ-C H.5)85/18 : As sche fledde a-fore him..sche was biten wiþ a serpente..of þe which the mayden diede in a litel while. Orpheus was riȝt hevy of þat mys-aventure [vr. mysse aventure].
- c1450(c1440) Scrope Othea (StJ-C H.5)93/13 : Cephalus..supposid it had ben a wylde beeste, caste his iauelott & killed his wijf. He was hevy of þat mysaventure.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)5162 : To þe may neuere falle honur Ȝyf me bytide a misauentur.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Merlin (Corp-C 80)262 : He spak hem tylle and axede how this Misaventure befille.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Merlin (Corp-C 80)324 : Sche is..hevy For this mysaventure..The wheche jn Schort tyme to vs is befalle.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)125/22 : Syn ye knowe of youre evil adventure, purvey for..that mysseadventure.
- a1500(a1450) Gener.(2) (Trin-C O.5.2)3848 : He..told hym ther..Of her messaventur and how it was.
- a1500 Chartier Treat.Hope (Rwl A.338)10/28 : Wise philosophers..haue resisted ayeinst fortune by wisedome, yet cowde nat they eschewe withowte deth the grette mysauenturis [vr. myssauntres] of courte.
- a1500 Conq.Irel.(Rwl B.490)39/31 : For the synne of the Pepill, this mys-aduenture [Dub: mesaduentur] ham ys by-fall.
- a1500 Conq.Irel.(Rwl B.490)69/16 : Mysaduentures [Dub: mesaduentures] ne comyth neuer more al-oon.
- a1500 Peterb.Lapid.(Peterb 33)p.81 : Þen schall no tempest do him harme in lond ne in vater ne no mysauentur do him harme ne come to him.
- a1500 Theoph.(RwlPoet 225)p.20 : Þe fend satan sche vndernam Of þat ilke dede. How he þouȝtte þat mys aventure To byen goddes creature.
b
- ?a1300 Sirith (Dgb 86)202 : Blesse þe, leue knaue! Leste þou mes-auenter haue For þis lesing þat is founden Opp-on me.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)4187 : Alas, þou wrecche mon, woch mesaunture Aþ þe ybroȝt in to þis stede?
- (c1375) Chaucer CT.Mk.(Manly-Rickert)B.3540 : Fortune out of hir regne made hire falle To wrecchednesse and to mysauenture.
- c1390 NHom.Narrat.(Vrn)16.262/34 : He was stif to stonde in stour, And war aȝein mis Auentour.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.ML.(Manly-Rickert)B.616 : The kynges herte of pitee gan agryse Whan he saw so benygne a creature Falle in disese and in mysauenture.
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)3289 : Y suffre þys mys-auenture [F peine] For..pryde.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)p.68 : I salle rede why þe misauentoure On Harald side gan sprede þorgh William conqueroure.
- c1400 Brut-1333 (Rwl B.171)84/26 : What sorwe and what mysauenture [Hrl 24: myssawenture], faire lordes, make ȝe here?
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)4.6225 : Vnwarly cometh aduersite After gladnes, and mysaventure, Whan men best wene for to stonde sure.
- a1450(?c1421) Lydg.ST (Arun 119)2513 : The kyng..Supprised was..With the pitous and vnhappy chaunce Of the meschief and mysauenture Touching the deth and disconfiture Of his feeres.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)1.706 : Delyte nat in wo..As don thise foles that hire sorwes eche With sorwe, whan thei han mysaventure.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)1.766 : But telle me..what she were For whom that the al this mysaunter ailleth.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)253 : Nothyng may so moch hir plese As myschef and mysaventure.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)339 : Mysawnter, or myscheve: Infortunium, disfortunium.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)1.312 : Let make hit vp..Demened so that, if mysauenture [L casus] ffordo thyn hous, a yeer or too recure Hit.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Merlin (Corp-C 80)516 : The torment that is ȝow befalle of ȝoure Fadyr & modyr and..brothir and Sostren..here misaventure, it is to ȝow gret dere.
- c1450(c1385) Chaucer Mars (Benson-Robinson)229 : Thogh he made a lover love a thing..Yet putteth he in hyt such mysaventure That reste nys ther non in his yeving.
- c1450(?c1408) Lydg.RS (Frf 16)4153 : Who wil nat by counsayl werk, Ful ofte sith..Falleth in sorowe and meschefe, And in grete mysauenture, Which he ne may lyghtly recure.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)147/10 : With myssehappe and mysseadventure have I done this batayle.
c
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)10905 : Sir gilebert..Defouled was þoru mesauntre & debrused al & deide.
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)4384 : Boþe o lif & eke tresour Þai dede þe paiens misauentour.
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)8361 : He gan here tere & bad þe time mesauenture Þat he cunteked wiþ king Arthour.
- c1350(a1333) Shoreham Poems (Add 17376)16/431 : Hit [later altered: hy Hit] leseþ wanne hi comeþ to wit Þourȝ hare misauenture Of senne.
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)515 : Hyt was shewyd..Þat she dyde to goo swych a melk slop Þurgh wycchecraft & mysauenture To sugke here keyn.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)p.166 : His nese & his ine he carfe at misauentoure [F en tel errour].
- c1400(?a1300) KAlex.(LdMisc 622)1950 : Ȝif ȝee meteþ þat robboure, Ȝiueþ hym mysauentoure [LinI: messantoure].
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)422 : An ipocrite..semeth a simple creature, But ther nys no mysaventure That she ne thenkith in hir corage.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)302/31 : I se all that evir thou doste is by mysseadventure and nat by preues of thy hondys.
d
- c1300(?c1225) Horn (Cmb Gg.4.27)19/326 : Hennes þu go, þu fule þeof..Went vt of my bur Wiþ muchel mesauentur.
- ?c1335 Whose þenchiþ vp (Hrl 913)p.138.24 : Moche misanter þat for him bidde Pater noster oþer crede.
- ?c1350 Why werre (Peterh 104)p.15 : Ȝif hit is a pore man And lyth in myche care, Mych mysawntre on that on That wol com thar Ful loth!
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Fri.(Manly-Rickert)D.1334 : Pees, with myschaunce and with mysauenture!
- c1400(?a1300) KAlex.(LdMisc 622)413 : Ȝif he faile, mysauenture [LinI: mesanter] he haue!
- a1450 SLeg.Suppl.Bod.(Bod 779)345/138 : Hot lede in his ey sprange..& dede him soche tormente þat he deyde..now god ȝeue mochil mesauntir to maystir & to knaue!
- a1450-1509 Rich.(Brunner)6127 : Þe Sarazynes, wiþ mysauentoure [vrr. messauntere, messanture], Fledde into þe heyeste toure.
- a1450 I herde a carpyng (Sln 2593)p.44 : Mysaunter have he, xal fle.
- a1500(?a1325) Otuel & R (Fil)2371 : Lo, thys falce traytour, God ȝeue hym myssauntour ffor hys falce lesyng!
- a1500(?a1400) Firumb.(2) (Fil)985 : Now lete we be thys sarsin wyth maysauntour, And speke we of oure knyȝthes, that god hem socour!
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)68 : Mysauenture [F deshait] haue that it kepeth eny counseile.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- c1225 Wor.Gloss.(Corp-C 178)709/611 : Sið: mesauenture.
Note: Antedates word