misprision

From Anglo-Norman mesprison, mesprisioun et al., from mespris + -ion.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /mɪsˈpɹɪʒ(ə)n/

misprision (countable and uncountable, plural misprisions)

1. (law) Criminal neglect of duty or wrongful execution of official duties.
2. (law) The failure to give information about a crime that one knows to be taking place.

   misprision of a felony, of heresy, or of treason

3. Misinterpretation or misunderstanding.
   • 1595, Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, III - 2

     What hast thou done? thou hast mistaken quite

     And laid the love-juice on some true-love's sight:

     Of thy misprision must perforce ensue

     Some true love turn'd and not a false turn'd true.

   • 1984, Martin Amis, Money, Vintage 2005, p. 331:

     they have what men call self-belief and blame you for your misprisions in their dreams, they are conspiracy theorists, benevolent dictators […]

Negative misprision is misprision by neglect of duty, notably a duty to report information about a felony or treason. Positive misprision is maladministration or the commission of other serious offence falling short of actual felony or treason.