▪ I. misˈdoubt, n. Now arch. and dial.
[mis-1 4.]
Apprehension of evil; hence gen. mistrust, suspicion.
| 1592 Kyd Sp. Trag. ii. iv. 20 Ile conquer my misdoubt, And in thy loue and councell drowne my feare. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iii. i. 332 Steele thy fearfull thoughts And change misdoubt to resolution. 1621 G. Sandys Ovid's Met. x. (1626) 209 And thee Adonis, her misdoubts disswade From such encounters. 1680 Crowne Misery Civ. War v. 70 The bird that sees the bush where once it self Was lim'd,.. Cannot but hover round it with misdoubt. 1823 Galt Entail II. xxx, I hae a misdoot that a's no right and sound wi' her mair than wi' him. 1893 Sir E. Arnold in Westm. Gaz. 11 Oct. 7/2 It seems time for enlightened minds to lay aside misdoubt regarding the continuity of individual life. 1899 C. H. Herford in Shaks. Wks. (Eversley ed.) IV. 404 The tragic compunctions and misdoubts of Faustus. |
▪ II. misˈdoubt, v. Now chiefly dial. or arch.
[f. mis-1 1 + doubt v. Cf. obs. F. mesdoubter refl. to suspect (1518 in Godefroy).]
1. trans. To have doubts as to the existence, truth, or reality of (a thing).
| c 1540 tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden No. 36) 156 The citizens..in nothing misdoubtinge their power [orig. satis suis freti uiribus]. 1570 J. Dee Math. Pref. 6 That..I did misdoute your zelous mynde to vertues schole. 1621–31 Laud Serm. (1847) 191, I will never misdoubt the piety of this nation in the performing this duty. 1684 R. Waller Nat. Exper. 61 Misdoubting the sufficiency of the Ligature to sustain the air. 1862 Trollope Orley F. xxvii, She did not say that she misdoubted the wisdom of her son's counsels. 1875–86 W. Somerset Gloss., Misdoubt, to misbelieve; to doubt. 1887 P. M{supc}Neill Blawearie 129 This was the voice of Teenie Bell: there was no misdoubting it. |
| absol. 1601 Shakes. All's Well i. iii. 130 Manie likelihoods inform'd mee of this before, which hung so tottring in the ballance, that I could neither beleeue nor misdoubt. |
b. With clause: To doubt (but) that..; to have doubts as to how...
| 1640 G. Sandys Christ's Passion iv. 42/26 Who beares not his own burden, that none may Misdoubt, the Innocent became their prey. 1709 Strype Ann. Ref. iii. 74 We need not..misdoubt but that it is his, under whose name it goes. 1865 De Morgan in Graves Life Sir W. R. Hamilton (1889) III. 622 Misdoubting that the subscription plan had the sanction of the relatives. 1891 Atkinson Moorland Par. 14 [He] gravely shook his head, and misdoubted how it would work. |
2. To have doubts about the character, honesty, etc. of (a person); to be mistrustful or suspicious of.
| c 1585 Faire Em ii. 573 Iealousy..Hath so bewitched my lovely Manviles senses That he misdoubts his Em, that loves his soul. 1598 Shakes. Merry W. ii. i. 192, I doe not misdoubt my wife: but I would bee loath to turne them together. 1619 Gataker Spirituall Watch (1637) 109 Peter then..misdoubted not himselfe, nor his own inability, but he would and should doe as then he said. 1818 Scott Rob Roy xxii, I dinna misdoubt ye. 1882 C. F. Woolson Anne 371 We put him in charge of a woman, who said she'd take care of him, but I misdoubt her. 1902 A. Lang in Blackw. Mag. Apr. 481/1 His witnesses were misdoubted. |
3. To have misgivings, suspicion, or forebodings in regard to.
| 1563–87 Foxe A. & M. (1596) 248/1 They began to misdout their speeding. 1588 Shakes. L. L. L. iv. iii. 194, I beseech your Grace let this Letter be read, Our person mis-doubts it: it was treason he said. 1593 ― 3 Hen. VI, v. vi. 14 The Bird that hath bin limed in a bush, With trembling wings misdoubteth euery bush. 1663 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. lxxv. 307 Presently misdoubting the businesse, she went..to impart the sad news unto her Mother. 1857 Dickens Lett. (1880) II. 9, I much misdoubt an amateur artist's success in this vast place. 1870 Morris Earthly Par. II. iii. 496 Much they misdoubted what these came to do. |
† b. To hesitate or scruple (to do something). Obs.
| 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. ii. 176 The holy Ghost misdoubteth not to speake in the Scriptures, after this usuall phrase of speech [orig. sacræ literæ non dubitant voces huiusmodi vsurpare]. |
4. To fear or suspect the existence or occurrence of (something regarded as evil).
| c 1540 tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden No. 36) 159 The kinge, misdoubtinge some treason [orig. fraudem suspicatus]. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia iii. (1629) 250 Hee misdoubted each mans treason, and coniectured euery possibility of misfortune. 1597 Beard Theatre God's Judgem. (1612) 170 The Turks secure and misdoubting nothing. 1603 Drayton Bar. Wars i. xlix, Warn'd by Danger to misdoubt the worst. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Ch. Porch xxviii, Yet in thy thriving still misdoubt some evil. 1653 Gataker Vind. Annot. Jer. 6 Because he misdoubted discovery as wel by the one as by the other. a 1721 Sheffield (Dk. Buckhm.) Wks. (1753) I. 64 My fearful conscious eyes Look often back, misdoubting a surprize. |
| absol. 1700 Dryden Wife of Bath's T. 116 Misdoubting much, and fearful of the event. 1850 Mrs. Browning An Island xxx. Poems II. 189 And who would murmur and misdoubt, When God's great sunrise finds him out? |
† b. transf. To fear for, have fears about. Obs.
| 1630 R. N. tr. Camden's Hist. Eliz. i. 14 This also troubled the French King, who could not but misdoubt France [orig. Galliæ non poterat non timere], if by this new marriage England should fall againe to the Spaniard, his Enemy. |
5. With clause (occas. with simple obj.): To fear or suspect (that something is or will be the case).
| 1596 Spenser F. Q. vi. iii. 47 Misdoubting least he should misguyde His former malice to some new assay. 1605 in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) 81 They misdoubt they shall not be able to raise many voluntaries. a 1648 Ld. Herbert Hen. VIII (1683) 406 Neither did the King misdoubt that the putting of Arms into so many of his Subjects hands would redound to his prejudice. 1813 Byron Br. Abydos i. v, Much I misdoubt this wayward boy Will one day work me more annoy. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xxxviii, And that leddy was the Queen hersell?.. I mis⁓doubted it when I saw that your honour didna put on your hat. 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. iii. xv, Mr. Boffin stared here, and stared there, as misdoubting that he must be in some sort of fit. 1885 Harper's Mag. May 830/2, I misdoubt the ladies won't like it. |
b. With acc. and inf.: To suspect (a person or thing) of being (so-and-so). ? Obs.
| 1599 Sandys Europæ Spec. (1632) 172 [He] is strongly misdoubted to practise with the Emperour for the joyning the Catholike and Lutheran forces in one. 1625 Bp. R. Montagu App. Cæsar 275 You misdoubt the Testimony to bee forged, because it was forgotten to name the place. |
c. refl. and intr. To suspect; to have suspicions of; to be suspicious of. Obs. or arch.
| 1637 Heywood Dial. viii. 109 Dost thou misdoubt thee Of nothing lost? hast all thy tooles about thee? 1814 Cary Dante, Paradise xxiv. 86, I not a whit misdoubt of its assay. 1843 James Forest Days I. ii. 12 Get thee gone, slut!..what dost thou know of friars' cells? Too much, I mis⁓doubt me. 1846 Trench Mirac. xviii. (1862) 300 The neighbours may have misdoubted of the work, as having been done on the Sabbath. |
Hence misˈdoubted ppl. a.
| 1687 H. More App. Antid. (1712) 181 Suspected Innocency and misdoubted Truth. |