† meschant, a. and n. Obs.
Forms: 5 meschaunt(e, mysch(e)aunt(e, 5, 7 mischaunt, 6 mischand, -eant, mechient, meschante, mysch(e)ant, mechant, 6–7 mischant, mishant, meschant.
[a. OF. mescheant unlucky, wicked (mod.F. méchant wicked), orig. pr. pple. of mescheoir to be unlucky + mes- mis- + cheoir to fall:—popular L. *cadēre for class. L. cadĕre. Frequent in Caxton; in the 16th c. mainly Sc.]
A. adj.
1. Wicked, bad, base.
| a 1450 Knt. de la Tour 126 It is a myschaunt thinge for any gentille woman, other to striue or to chide in ani manere. c 1570 Satir. Poems Reform. xx. 146 All thay yat dois..With mischant mynde maling Aganis the treuth. 1629 Reg. Privy Council Scot. Ser. ii. III. 4 The..purging of the land frome suche a mischaunt persoun. 1649 Bp. Guthrie Mem. (1702) 6 This Meschant Business..gave the Ministers Affairs such a Blow, that..they were never able to make it up again. |
2. Miserable, wretched.
| 1471 Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 48 Than he retorned poure and myschant vnto his fader Tytan. 1530 Palsgr. 318/2 Meschante myserable, meschant. |
B. n. A wretch, a villain.
| c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon iv. 125 Thenne he sayd to his children ‘Myschaunt, your ledernes and slouth hath overcomen you’. 1570 in Spottiswood Hist. Ch. Scot. v. (1677) 238 They..had unworthily cut off his Uncle and Regent, by suborning a mischant to kill him treacherously. a 1585 Polwart Flyting w. Montgomerie 131 Mischiewous mishant. 1664 Pepys Diary 6 Sept., Cromwell, notwithstanding the meschants in his time, which were the Cavaliers, did [etc.]. |
Hence † meschantly adv., † meschantness.
| 1491 Caxton Vitas Patr. (W. de W. 1495) ii. 256/2 The tyme that he had lost & wasted in lyuyng myschauntly. 1573 Satir. Poems Reform. xl. 205 Upricht men ar murtherit mischantlie. 1623 in Pitcairn Crim. Trials III. 549 How mischantlie and barbaruslie the innocent Gentillman was murdreist. 1644 D. Hume Hist. Doug. 153 Which I confesse is so profound and deep a folly, and mischantnesse, that I can by no means sound it. 1661 R. Baillie Lett. & Jrnls. (1842) III. 468 Mr. Blair, Mr. Dickson, and Mr. Hutcheson, were, without all cause, mischantly abused by his pen. |