Mis"chief, v. t. To do harm
to. [Obs.] Milton.
Mis"chief (mĭs"chĭf), n.
[OE. meschef bad result, OF. meschief; pref. mes-
(L. minus less) + chief end, head, F. chef
chief. See Minus, and Chief.]
1. Harm; damage; esp., disarrangement of
order; trouble or vexation caused by human agency or by some living
being, intentionally or not; often, calamity, mishap; trivial evil
caused by thoughtlessness, or in sport. Chaucer.
Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs.
Ps. lii. 2.
The practice whereof shall, I hope, secure me from
many mischiefs.
Fuller.
2. Cause of trouble or vexation;
trouble. Milton.
The mischief was, these allies would never
allow that the common enemy was subdued.
Swift.
To be in mischief, to be doing harm or
causing annoyance. -- To make mischief, to
do mischief, especially by exciting quarrels. -- To play
the mischief, to cause great harm; to throw into
confusion. [Colloq.]
Syn. -- Damage; harm; hurt; injury; detriment; evil; ill.
-- Mischief, Damage, Harm. Damage is an
injury which diminishes the value of a thing; harm is an
injury which causes trouble or inconvenience; mischief is an
injury which disturbs the order and consistency of things. We often
suffer damage or harm from accident, but
mischief always springs from perversity or folly.