misheal

English

Etymology

From mis- +‎ heal.

Verb

misheal (third-person singular simple present misheals, present participle mishealing, simple past and past participle mishealed)

1. (intransitive) To heal improperly.
   • 1949, Roscoe Nelson Gray, Louise J. Gordy, Attorneys' Textbook of Medicine - Volume 1, page 8-166:

     Such decision of the court entitled the plaintiff to temporary total disability benefits, because of the deformity, residual edema (accumulation of fluid), hip pain, swelling in the lower leg, phlebitis (inflammation of a vein), and knock-knees, all resulting from the mishealing of the plaintiff's femur fracure.

   • 1987, California. Court of Appeal (4th Appellate District)., page 6:

     It's a loss that occurred when his wife's injuries from the accident healed or mishealed in such а manner as to now cause her to be unable to have sex without pain.

   • 2004, David Randall, Clovermead, page 145:

     Her hand ached and she looked down to see an ugly scar stretching across the ball of her thumb. It was already old and long since mishealed.

   • 2013, W Southwell-Wright, “Past perspectives: What can archaeology offer disability studies?”, in M. Wappett, K. Arndt, editors, Emerging perspectives on disability studies:

     For example, Skeleton L at the site of Dunstable was an adult male who earlier in his life had suffered a fracture of his left leg, which mishealed, subsequently shortening his leg significantly, which would have left him with a limp and noticeable deformity

2. (rare, trannsitive) To provide the incorrect treatment to someone one is attempting to heal.
   • 1980, Beijing Review - Issues 1-26, page 26:

     Some “famous doctors" referred patients to him that they could not heal or those they had mishealed.

   • 1992, Cheryl J. Franklin, The Inquisitor, page 424:

     Akras touched her scarred cheeks, tracing the hard ridges of deliberately mishealed flesh.

Anagrams

• Ishmael, Melisha