Where does “mishap” come from?
Mishap comes from Middle English mis- combined with hap, tracing through Proto-Indo-European roots expressing exchange and change of position or condition.
mishap (English): An accident, mistake, or problem; Evil accident;...
Definitions
- An accident, mistake, or problem; Evil accident;...
Ancestry of “mishap”, step by step
mishap traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mishappen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mishappen | To encounter grief or misfortune; To happen... |
| 2 | English | happen | To occur or take place; To happen to; to befall;... |
| 3 | Middle English | happen | to come to pass, happen; fortunate, happy |
| 4 | Old English | hæppan | to move accidentally, slip |
| 5 | Old Norse | happa | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hampijaną | to fit in, be fitting; to occur, happen |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |