Misfall

Origin

From Middle English misfallen, equivalent to - + fall. Cognate with Dutch misvallen ("to misfall, miss in falling, displease, miscarry"), German missfallen ("to displease"), Icelandic misfalla ("to misuse").

Full definition of misfall

Verb

1. (intransitive) To fall badly or incorrectly; happen unfortunately (to); mishappen; turn out badly.
• 1889, Henry Morley, Early prose romances:... let us abide together that, one with the counsel and that other with the deed, then may there nothing misfall to usward.
• 2009, Eric B. Hare, Skyscrapers:However, the principal and his students worked hard, and they soon had the buildings in shape for use and the farm doing as well as possible. Then a terrible misfortune misfell one of the neighbors who was most bitter in his tirades.

Noun

1. A mishap; accident; bad luck; misfortune.
• 1875, Julian Hawthorne, Saxon studies:But alas! an unlooked- for misfall has occurred."