misplease

misplease

English

Etymology

From Middle English misplesen, equivalent to mis- +‎ please. Compare Old French mesplaire.

Verb

misplease (third-person singular simple present mispleases, present participle mispleasing, simple past and past participle mispleased)

1. (transitive) To fail in pleasing; displease.
   • 1889, William Henry Anderdon, Bracton:

     Oh, i [sic] have one great Fear to misplease Him, and I pray He give me more of that Fear each Day, He my heavenly Father, not the Fear like Olga to the Knout, but to fear I misplease Him my Father, and make me not worthy of His Love.

   • 1924, Hastings Eells, The attitude of Martin Bucer toward the bigamy of Philip of Hesse:

     "[...] Yet let this make me as sorry as it will, still I must on that account above all see how everything looks before God and in itself, how it pleases or mispleases him."

   • 1961, Friedrich Schiller, Mary Stuart:

     The heart mispleases me that is held coldly, Severely closed amid the years of feeling.