mischief

Etymology

From Middle English myschef, meschef, meschief, mischef, from Old French meschief, from meschever (“to bring to grief”), from mes- (“badly”) + chever (“happen; come to a head”), from Vulgar Latin *capare, from Latin caput (“head”).

noun

1. (uncountable) Conduct that playfully causes petty annoyance.
   Drink led to mischief.
2. (countable) A playfully annoying action.
   John's mischief, tying his shoelaces together, irked George at first.
3. (collective) A group or a pack of rats.
   Kirac, the leader of the rats under his charge, speaks to the major through his telepathic abilities that manifested after the alien virus infected him and his mischief of rats. 2014, G. W. Rennie, The Rat Chronicles, iUniverse, page 21
   A group of rats is not a herd or a gaggle, but a pack or a mischief of rats. Rats in general are omnivorous, meaning they will eat almost anything. 2015, Rachel Smith, John Davidson, Rats For Kids, Mendon Cottage Books, page 6
4. (archaic) Harm or injury:
   1. (uncountable) Harm or trouble caused by an agent or brought about by a particular cause.
      She had mischief in her heart.
      Sooner or later he'll succeed in doing some serious mischief.
   2. (countable) An injury or an instance of harm or trouble caused by a person or other agent or cause.
      It may end in her doing a great mischief to herself—and perhaps to others too.
5. (law) A criminal offence defined in various ways in various jurisdictions, sometimes including causing damage to another's property.
6. (archaic, countable) A cause or agent of annoyance, harm or injury, especially a person who causes mischief.
   Epimetheus was scatter-brained and a mischief to men for having taken the woman [Pandora] that Zeus had formed. 1993, Carlos Parada, Genealogic Guide to Greek Mythology, page 71
7. (euphemistic) The Devil; used as an expletive.
   What the mischief are you? and how the mischief did you get here, and where in thunder did you come from? 1967, The Statesman, volume 12, page 260
8. (Australia) Casual and/or flirtatious sexual acts.

verb

1. (transitive, obsolete) To do a mischief to; to harm.
   […] so, when the two ladders were taken down, no man living could come down to me without mischiefing himself, […] 1719, Daniel Defoe, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, page 144
   'Not now, Smee,' Hook said darkly. 'He is only one, and I want to mischief all the seven. Scatter and look for them.' 1911, James Matthew Barrie, Peter and Wendy, page 86
2. (transitive, obsolete) To slander.
   And so it hath been divers times; Men mischiefing the Jews to excuse their own Wickedness: as to instance one Precedent in the time of a certain King of Portugal. 1708, John Dunton, The Phenix, page 403