Misuse; improper use; perversion. [First attested in the mid 16th century.]
(obsolete) A delusion; an imposture; misrepresentation; deception. [Attested from the mid 16th century until the mid 17th century.]
Coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; language that unjustly or angrily vilifies. [First attested in the mid 16th century.]
(now rare)Catachresis. [First attested in the late 16th century.]
Physical maltreatment; injury; cruel treatment. [First attested in the late 16th century.]
Verb
(transitive) To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to use improperly; to misuse; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]
(transitive) To injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty, especially repeatedly. [First attested in the mid 16th century.]
(transitive) To attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile; malign; to speak in an offensive manner to or about someone; to disparage. [First attested in the early 17th century.]
(transitive) To imbibe a drug for a purpose other than it was intended; to intentionally take more of a drug than was prescribed for recreational reasons; to take illegal drugs habitually. [First attested in the mid 20th century.]
(transitive, archaic) To violate; defile; to rape. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]
(transitive, obsolete) Misrepresent; adulterate. [Attested from around 1350 to 1470 until the mid 18th century.]
(transitive, obsolete) To deceive; to trick; to impose on; misuse the confidence of. [Attested from the late 15th century until the early 19th century.]
(transitive, obsolete, Scotland)Disuse. [Attested from the late 15th century until the mid 16th century.]
