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miscarry

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English miscarien . By surface analysis, mis- +‎ carry .

Pronunciation

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Verb

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miscarry (third-person singular simple present miscarries , present participle miscarrying , simple past and past participle miscarried )

  1. (obsolete ) To have an unfortunate accident of some kind; to be killed, or come to harm. [14th–18th c.]
  2. (now rare ) To go astray; to do something wrong. [from 14th c.]
  3. To have a miscarriage; to involuntarily abort a foetus. [from 16th c.]
  4. To fail to achieve some purpose; to be unsuccessful, to go wrong (of a business, project etc.). [from 16th c.]
    • 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, "The Life of Henry the Fift", in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [...] (First Folio), London: [...] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], page 84, column 2:
      So, if a Sonne that is by his Father sent about Merchandize, doe sinfully miscarry vpon the Sea; the imputation of his vvickednesse, by your rule, should be imposed vpon his Father that sent him: [...]
    • 1730, Jonathan Swift, "Death And Daphne,", in Some Verse Pieces:
      Pluto observing, since the Peace,
      The Burial Article decrease;
      And, vext to see Affairs miscarry,
      Declar'd in Council, Death must marry [...]
    • 1918, James George Frazer, Folk-Lore In The Old Testament, volume 1, page 65:
      God at one time purposed to make mankind immortal, but the benevolent scheme miscarried through the fault of the messenger to whom he had entrusted the gospel message.
  5. Of a letter etc.: to fail to reach its intended recipient. [from 16th c.]
    • c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, "Loues Labour’s Lost", in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [...] (First Folio), London: [...] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
      Sir Nathaniel, this Biron is one of the votaries with the king; and here he hath framed a letter to a sequent of the stranger queen's, which accidentally, or by the way of progression, hath miscarried.
    • 1817 December 31 (indicated as 1818), [Walter Scott], chapter V, in Rob Roy. [...] , volume II, Edinburgh: [...] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.  [...]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC, page 88:
      It likewise alluded to several letters, which, as it appeared to me, must have miscarried or have been intercepted, [...].
    • 1842, [Katherine] Thomson, chapter VII, in Widows and Widowers. A Romance of Real Life., volume II, London: Richard Bentley, [...], →OCLC, page 144:
      Since the luckless Friday morning he had neither been seen nor heard of; day after day, Adeline had trusted to receive a letter, but in those times posts were slow and uncertain, messengers and couriers were often employed instead; and the hope might reasonably be clung to of a letter having miscarried.

Derived terms

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Translations

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to involuntarily abort a foetus
to fail to achieve

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