miss
/mɪs/
verb
Origin
Old English
missan — to fail to hit, escape, go astray
Overview
Meaning Now
- to fail to hit, reach, catch, or meet
- to notice the absence or loss of something or someone
- to feel sad about the absence of someone or something
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
missan
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The verb descends from a West Germanic root that implies 'deviation' or 'missing the mark,' which is preserved in related concepts of error and loss across Germanic languages.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*missijaną
“to go astray”
- Old English
missan
“to fail to hit, lack”
- Middle English
missen
“to lack, lose, fail to meet”
- Modern English
miss
“to fail to hit, notice loss, or feel absence”
Connections
Word parts
miss
root
fail, err
Related across languages
Old Saxon
missian
to fail
Old High German
missan
to miss, fail
Old Norse
missa
to lose, miss
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Related to miss
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.