misfavour

English

Verb

misfavour (third-person singular simple present misfavours, present participle misfavouring, simple past and past participle misfavoured)

1. Alternative form of misfavor
   • 1803, Joseph Hall, Josiah Pratt, Some specialities in the life of Bishop Hall, page 264:

     First, because his old age, which uses to be subject to choler, inclined now to misfavour his sons, therefore there shall not be an old man left of his house for ever;

   • 1891, Homer, translated by Evelyn Abbott, The Iliad of Homer, page 137:

     And now he misfavours me, and hath performed the desire of Thetis, who kissed his knees, and laid her hand upon his beard, and besought him to give honour to Achilles, despoiler of cities;

   • 1904, Maurice Hewlett, The Queen's Quair: Or The Six Years' Tragedy, page 51:

     Some favoured it and her, some winked at it, some misfavoured; and these were the grey beards and white mutches.

   • 1980, Ulf Sandberg, Efficiency of Spray Protectors: Tests 1979, page 70:

     The basic vehicle differences can be expected to misfavour type MB if the differences are significant.

   • 1981, Elias Hedinsson, TV, Family and Society, page 40:

     […] to account for the stability of a social structure which greatly misfavours certain social strata of society.

Noun

misfavour (countable and uncountable, plural misfavours)

1. Alternative form of misfavor
   • 1853, Macphail's Edinburgh ecclesiastical journal and literary review, page 222:

     But rules that for their recommendation, or exception, require a constant eye to these archetypes, can be but of limited service in this country, where there is little acquaintance we suspect with the models themselves; and, where their importation under any condition, would be received, we doubt not, with distrust and misfavour.

   • 1935, Alfred Neumann, Another Caesar: A Novel, page 31:

     Had she still much to lose, much reason to fear the misfavour of fortune, which grew continually plainer?

   • 1937, Folklore Society (Great Britain), Publications - Volume 99; Volume 101, page 27:

     Daniel in his humble symbol represented victory , but Alexander in this new romantic life of his takes his place in pageant, tapestry and verse as one of those Nine Nobles or Worthies who fell by the misfavour of Dame Fortune before their time or by the power of enemies.

   • 2019, Alice Meynell, Ceres' Runaway, and Other Essays:

     None the less, having the vanity of new clothes and a pretty figure, did we— especially by the mouth of Andrew Marvell— deride our victors, making sport of the Philistines with a proper national sense of enjoyment of such physical disabilities, or such natural difficulties, or such misfavour of fortune, as may beset the alien.

   • 2003, Joel S. G. R. Bhose, NGOs and Rural Development: Theory and Practice, page viii:

     Advocacy means influencing Policy in favour of the poor and powerless. This otherwise, means a misfavour to the power holders.