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Webster 1913 Edition


Miss

Miss

(mĭs)
,
Noun.
;
pl.
Misses
(mĭs′sĕz)
.
[Contr. fr.
mistress
.]
1.
A title of courtesy prefixed to the name of a girl or a woman who has not been married. See
Mistress
, 5.
☞ There is diversity of usage in the application of this title to two or more persons of the same name. We may write either the Miss Browns or the Misses Brown.
2.
A young unmarried woman or a girl;
as, she is a
miss
of sixteen
.
Gay vanity, with smiles and kisses,
Was busy ’mongst the maids and misses.
Cawthorn.
3.
A kept mistress. See
Mistress
, 4.
[Obs.]
Evelyn.
4.
(Card Playing)
In the game of three-card loo, an extra hand, dealt on the table, which may be substituted for the hand dealt to a player.

Miss

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Missed
(mĭst)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Missing
.]
[AS.
missan
; akin to D. & G.
missen
, OHG.
missan
, Icel.
missa
, Sw.
mista
, Dan.
miste
. √100. See
Mis-
, pref.]
1.
To fail of hitting, reaching, getting, finding, seeing, hearing, etc.;
as, to
miss
the mark one shoots at; to
miss
the train by being late; to
miss
opportunites of getting knowledge; to
miss
the point or meaning of something said.
When a man
misses
his great end, happiness, he will acknowledge he judged not right.
Locke.
2.
To omit; to fail to have or to do; to get without; to dispense with; – now seldom applied to persons.
She would never
miss
, one day,
A walk so fine, a sight so gay.
Prior.
We cannot
miss
him; he does make our fire,
Fetch in our wood.
Shakespeare
3.
To discover the absence or omission of; to feel the want of; to mourn the loss of; to want;
as, to
miss
an absent loved one
.
Shak.
Neither
missed
we anything . . . Nothing was
missed
of all that pertained unto him.
1 Sam. xxv. 15, 21.
What by me thou hast lost, thou least shalt
miss
.
Milton.
To miss stays
.
(Naut.)
See under
Stay
.

Miss

(mĭs)
,
Verb.
I.
1.
To fail to hit; to fly wide; to deviate from the true direction.
Men observe when things hit, and not when they
miss
.
Bacon.
Flying bullets now,
To execute his rage, appear too slow;
They
miss
, or sweep but common souls away.
Waller.
2.
To fail to obtain, learn, or find; – with of.
Upon the least reflection, we can not
miss
of them.
Atterbury.
3.
To go wrong; to err.
[Obs.]
Amongst the angels, a whole legion
Of wicked sprites did fall from happy bliss;
What wonder then if one, of women all, did
miss
?
Spenser.
4.
To be absent, deficient, or wanting.
[Obs.]
See
Missing
,
Adj.
What here shall
miss
, our toil shall strive to mend.
Shakespeare

Miss

,
Noun.
1.
The act of missing; failure to hit, reach, find, obtain, etc.
2.
Loss; want; felt absence.
[Obs.]
There will be no great
miss
of those which are lost.
Locke.
3.
Mistake; error; fault.
Shak.
He did without any great
miss
in the hardest points of grammar.
Ascham.
4.
Harm from mistake.
[Obs.]
Spenser.

Webster 1828 Edition


Miss

MISS

, n.
1.
The title of a young woman or girl; as little masters and misses.
2.
A kept mistress; a prostitute retained; a concubine.

MISS

,
Verb.
T.
[L. mitto, misi; omitto, omisi.]
1.
To fail in aim; to fail of reaching the object; not to hit; as, to miss the mark; to miss the object intended.
2.
To fail of finding the right way; to err in attempting to find; as, to miss the way or the road.
3.
To fail of obtaining.
Orgalus feared nothing but to miss Parthenia.
4.
To learn or discover that something is wanting, or not where it was supposed to be; as, to miss one's snuff-box; I missed the first volume of Livy.
Neither missed we any thing--. Nothing was missed of all that pertained to him. 1 Sam.25.
5.
To be without; as, we cannot miss him.
6.
To omit; to pass by; to go without; to fail to have; as, to miss a meal of victuals.
She would never miss one day
A walk so fine, a sight so gay.
7.
To perceive the want of.
What by me thou hast lost, thou least shalt miss,
He who has a firm sincere friend, may want all the rest without missing them.
8.
To fail of seeing or finding.

MISS

,
Verb.
I.
To fail to hit; to fly wide; to deviate from the true direction.
Flying bullets now,
To execute his rage, appear too slow;
They miss, or sweep but common souls away.
1.
Not to succeed; to fail.
Men observe when things hit, and not when they miss--
2.
To fail; to miscarry, as by accident.
The invention all admired, and each, how he
To be the inventor missed.
3.
To fail to obtain, learn or find; with of.
On the least reflection, we can miss of them.
4.
To fail; to mistake.

MISS

,
Noun.
Loss; want.
There will be no great miss of those which are lost.
1.
Mistake; error.
He did without any great miss in the hardest points of grammar. [Little used.]
2.
Harm from mistake.