Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “misbehave” come from?

Misbehave comes from Middle English misbehaven, composed of the prefix mis- meaning wrongly and behaven, the past participle of behave.

misbehave (English): To act or behave in an inappropriate, improper,...

Definitions

  1. To act or behave in an inappropriate, improper,...

Ancestry of “misbehave”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmisbehaven—

Words derived from “misbehave”

  • misbehaver
Every word from Middle English misbehaven →