misbeliefn.

Brit.

/ˌmɪsbᵻˈliːf/, U.S.

/ˌmɪsbəˈlif/,

/ˌmɪsbiˈlif/

Forms: early Middle English misbileaue, Middle English misbeleue, Middle English misbeleve, Middle English misbelieve, Middle English misbileeue, Middle English misbileoue, Middle English misbileue, Middle English misbileve, Middle English mysbeleue, Middle English mysbileeve, Middle English mysbileue, Middle English mysbileve, Middle English mysbyleoue, Middle English mysbyleve, Middle English mysebeleue, Middle English–1500s mysbyleue, late Middle English misbeleoue, late Middle English mysbeleeue, late Middle English mysbeleeve, late Middle English mysbileeue, late Middle English mysbilefe, late Middle English mysbylyefe, late Middle English mysbylyue, late Middle English–1500s mysbeleve, 1500s misbeleif, 1500s misbelieue, 1500s missebeleefe, 1500s mysbeleif, 1500s–1600s misbeleef, 1500s–1600s misbeliefe, 1600s misbeleefe, 1600s– misbelief; Scottish pre-1700 misbelef, pre-1700 misbeleife, pre-1700 misbelewe, pre-1700 misblev, pre-1700 missbelieff, pre-1700 mysbeleve, pre-1700 mysbyleve, 1800s– misbelief.

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: mis- prefix¹, belief n.

Etymology: < mis- prefix¹ + belief n. Compare later misbelieve v.

I. False belief.

1. Erroneous or unorthodox religious belief; (an instance of) heresy or false religion; paganism.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > aspects of faith > heresy > [noun]

dwildOE

misbeliefa1225

heresy?c1225

sect13..

misbelieving1340

irreligion1592

miscredence1603

steal-truth1628

Zendicism1697

pseudo-religion1856

Manichaeism1894

a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 53 For ðare misbileaue and for ðare unwurscipe ðe me nimð hit [sc. the Eucharist] al swa unwurðliche [etc.].

c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (1973) 2361 (MED) Leste ȝe eft wepen echeliche in helle..as ȝe schullen alle buten ȝef ȝe forleten..ower misbileaue [L. gentilitatis errore].

c1300 St. Gregory (Laud) 75 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 358 (MED) Of þe mis-bi-leue of Engelonde gret deol and care he hadde.

c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xv. 402 Mekometh in mysbileue men and wommen brouȝte.

a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) 5521 Þe haithen men of mysbylyefe.

1481 W. Caxton tr. Siege & Conqueste Jerusalem (1893) c. 152 Grete hate..hath ben bytwene the Turkes of thoryent and the Turkes of Egypt..By cause they discorde in theyr creaunce and mysbyleue.

1529 T. More Dialogue Heresyes i, in Wks. 144/2 If the woorship of ymages wer ydolatrie than y^e churche beleuing it to be lawful..were in a misbelieue & in a deadly error.

1639 W. Laud Wks. (1849) II. 6 Perfidious misbelief could not be welcome, or, rather, indeed, perfidious misbelievers or schismatics could not be welcome.

1670 J. Milton Hist. Brit. iv. 149 Paulinus omitting no opportunity to win the King from misbeleef.

1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Misbelief,..false religion; a wrong belief.

1829 R. Southey Sir Thomas More II. 93 In producing superstition and misbelief on one hand, and unbelief on the other.

1841 T. Carlyle On Heroes i. 5 Such hideous inextricable jungle of misworships, misbeliefs.

1879 A. W. Haddan Apostolical Succession Church Eng. p. vii [A doctrine] which the tendency of modern belief or misbelief leads men to scorn as childish.

1905 Amer. Hist. Rev. 10 513 The conduct of Philip II and the inquisitors, which..was influenced not solely by hatred of misbelief, but by criminal propensities of a grosser kind.

1987 H. Turtledove Misplaced Legion ix. 187 They wear virtue's mask to hide their misbelief.

2. gen. Erroneous belief; a false opinion or notion.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > school of thought > [noun] > erroneous belief

misbeliefa1387

err1509

errancy1623

sphalm1715

miscreed1819

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > error in belief or opinion > [noun] > instance of

error1340

misbeliefa1387

misopinion1489

delusion1552

fallacy1590

delirium1599

pseudodox1601

ignotion1647

by-opinion1670

night-philosophy1677

sphalm1715

pseudo-idea1863

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1876) VI. 397 Suche lewed tales Englisshe men holdeþ by a mysbyleve þat haþ ful longe i-dured.

c1395 G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Tale 1213 Ye shul han no mysbileue Ne wrong conceite of me in youre absence.

c1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Tiber.) 18623 (MED) Alle is but ffoly and mysbyleve Towchynge the spiritis.

1496 (c1410) Dives & Pauper (de Worde) i. xlv 87/1 They haue no suche fantasye ne mysbyleue in dremes.

a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1959) x. xi. 56 Gif thou wenis that all the victory..May be reducit and alterat clar agane, A mysbeleve thou fosteris all in vane.

1651 R. Baxter Plain Script. Proof Infants Church-membership & Baptism 18 If they prevail to perswade the people of the necessity of practice, in so doing they put on them both the misbelief and the mispractice.

1850 N. Brit. Rev. Feb. 398 His determination not to enter the church—his political misbeliefs [etc.].

1905 Athenæum 8 July 39/2 The misbeliefs of bygone times.

1956 Amer. Sociol. Rev. 21 659/1 The patent misbelief that Negroes and whites do not mix well as neighbors in the same community.

1993 Jrnl. Higher Educ. 64 47 It may even explain why we perpetuate misbelief about writing fluency.

†II. Absence of belief.

3. Lack of belief or trust; doubt, disbelief, incredulity. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > disbelief, incredulity > [noun]

untrust?c1225

misbelief1340

misfaitha1382

misbeliefnessc1390

discredence?a1475

miscredit1565

discredit1567

infidelity1578

unconvincedness1642

disbelieving1645

scepticism1646

unbelief1649

diffidelity1659

disbelief1672

misbelieving1737

disfaith1870

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 13 (MED) Þe uorlorene þet weren dyade ine hire zenne and in hire misbileue.

a1425 (?c1400) J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 108 (MED) God hardede Pharaois herte for þe mysbyleve þat he hadde to God.

1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 215/1 O how thy moste beaute hast thou lost for thyn incredulyte and mysbyleue.

1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. May (Gloss.) f. 21^v Miscreaunce, despeire or misbeliefe.

1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. vi. 96 Simple distrusts or misbeleefs of the things which they vnderstand not.

a1649 W. Drummond Wks. (1711) 51/1 Misbelief Of these sad News.

1655 H. More Antidote against Atheism (ed. 2) iii. xvi. 272 A contemptuous misbelief of such like Narrations concerning Spirits, and an endeavour of making them all ridiculous and incredible.

1680 Mem. Veitch, Hog, &c. (1846) I Misbelief, said I, should go to hell.

†III. Extended uses.

4. A term for: a company (of painters). Obsolete. rare.One of many alleged group terms found in early Middle English glossarial sources, but not otherwise substantiated.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > business affairs > a business or company > [noun] > companies involved in specific business

misbeliefa1450

safeguarda1450

squatc1450

smearc1476

bleach1486

poulterer1534

water company1710

land-company1805

publishing house1819

railway company1824

oil company1827

bus line1843

rails1848

accountancy1860

art house1882

poulter1884

automaker1899

energy company1910

record label1926

label1930

utility1930

re-roller1931

prefabricator1933

seven sisters1962

energy firm1970

chipmaker1971

fragmentizer1972

fixit1984

infomediary1989

multi-utility1994

a1450 Terms Assoc. in PMLA (1936) 51 604 (MED) A misbeleue of paynters.

Derivatives

† misbeliefful adj. Obsolete unbelieving.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > aspects of faith > theism > atheism > [adjective]

ortrowOE

unbelievedc1200

unbelieffulc1380

untrowfulc1380

mislevefula1382

mistrowablea1382

mistrowfula1382

mistrowinga1382

unfaithfulc1384

faithlessa1400

unbelievinga1400

untrothfula1400

misbelieffula1425

out of beliefa1425

untraistfulc1480

untruthfulc1480

godless1528

irreligious1561

incredulous1578

atheistical1588

athean1611

atheal1612

atheous1612

beliefless1612

nullifidian1661

atheist1667

unreligious1814

nihilistic1848

know-nothing1862

nescient1863

non-theistic1863

agnostical?a1870

agnostic1870

non-theist1913

no-God1923

a1425 (a1382) Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Corpus Oxf.) Ecclus. i. 36 Mysbileueful [c1384 Douce 369(2) Be thou not rebel and mys leeful to the dred of the Lord; a1425 L.V. vnbileueful; L. incredibilis].

† misbeliefness n. Obsolete disbelief.

ΘΚΠ