*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of amiss

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂en-der. Proto-Germanic *an Proto-West Germanic *ana Old English on Middle English an Middle English a- English a- English miss English amiss From a- + miss.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

Fault; wrong; an evil act, a bad deed.

adj

Wrong; faulty; out of order; improper or otherwise incorrect.

adv

Wrongly; mistakenly · Astray. · Imperfectly.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂en-der. Proto-Germanic *an Proto-West Germanic *ana Old English on Middle English an Middle English a- English a- English miss English amiss From a- + miss.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "a-<id:on>",
        "4": "miss",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂en-der.\nProto-Germanic *an\nProto-West Germanic *ana\nOld English on\nMiddle English an\nMiddle English a-\nEnglish a-\nEnglish miss\nEnglish amiss\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂en-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*an\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*ana\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"on\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"an\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"a-\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"a-\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"miss\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"amiss\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"amiss\">\nFrom a- + miss."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "a-<id:on>",
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        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂en-der.\nProto-Germanic *an\nProto-West Germanic *ana\nOld English on\nMiddle English an\nMiddle English a-\nEnglish a-\nEnglish miss\nEnglish amiss\nFrom a- + miss."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "*h₂en-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂en-"
    ],
    [
      "*an",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/an"
    ],
    [
      "*ana",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/ana#Proto-West_Germanic:_on"
    ],
    [
      "on",
      "on#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "an",
      "an#Middle_English:_on"
    ],
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#Middle_English:_on"
    ],
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      "a-",
      "a-#English:_on"
    ],
    [
      "miss",
      "miss#English"
    ],
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      "a-",
      "a-#English:_on"
    ],
    [
      "miss",
      "miss#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Fault; wrong; an evil act, a bad deed."
      ],
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        "obsolete"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 175107
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Wrong; faulty; out of order; improper or otherwise incorrect."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "predicative"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 175105
    },
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Wrongly; mistakenly",
        "Astray.",
        "Imperfectly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "ee1cc2c948d566f0175d47a80e374ff009e7ee637f18254d9332ae21545b6a6d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1309ea660847684360e84cc99305245232b5b2435c6f536cbbea8699fce19d5b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 175106
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for amiss →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YW1pc3M