misdoubt - From Ulster to America
Source: From Ulster to America: The Scotch-Irish Heritage of American English
Author: Michael Montgomery
Comments: From Ulster to America recounts the lasting impact eighteenth-century settlers from Ulster have made on the development of the English language of the United States. The book documents over 500 vocabulary items contributed to American English by these ‘Scotch-Irish’ settlers. Each ‘shared’ term with its meaning is authenticated by quotations from both sides of the Atlantic. This searchable online version of his book takes its text from the dictionary part of the second edition published by the Ullans Press in 2017.
misdoubt, misdoot vb To have doubts about, distrust, fear (that something is true), suspect (the veracity of), disbelieve. [cf Middle French mesdoubter ‘to doubt, suspect’; oed misdoubt vb 1a ‘to have doubts as to the existence, truth, or reality of (a thing)’, 1b ‘to doubt (that something will happen, will be done, etc.)’ now chiefly U.S. regional 1640→, 2a ‘to fear or suspect the existence or occurrence of (something undesirable or evil)’ 1550→, obsolete, 2b ‘to fear or suspect (that something is or will be the case)’ now chiefly British regional 1596→, 2c ‘to suspect (a person or thing) of doing or being something’ 1599→, obsolete, 3a ‘to have misgivings, suspicions, or forebodings in regard to (something)’ 1570→, 4b ‘to have doubts about the character, honesty, etc., of, to be mistrustful or suspicious of’ 1592→, now chiefly Scottish and northern Irish English; dost misdoubt vb 1605→; snd misdoubt 1 ‘to doubt, disbelieve, suspect the veracity of, distrust’ 1818→, 2 ‘to anticipate as a likelihood, to be afraid that, to suspect (that a thing is so)’ 1818→; dare misdoubt vb ‘to doubt; to fear, suspect, feel sure; to distrust, be suspicious of’ especially South, South Midland]
Ulst.:
1880 Patterson Antrim/Down Glossary 69 misdoubt = to doubt, to suspect.
1895 MacManus Leadin’ Road 106 Betwixt ourselves, I’m much misdoubtin’ that statement.
1920 Doyle Ballygullion 76 There was a desperate lot av springs an’ joints about the things, an’ I misdoubted but that Pether would do it little good.
1939 Paterson Country Cracks 28 He died on Carnagore in sight of his burial, an’ I misdoubt me if that wusn’t the greatest funeral that iver was.
1953 Traynor Donegal Glossary 186 = (1) to disbelieve, regard with suspicion; (2) to suspect, fear, apprehend; (3) to be mistaken: ‘If I dinna misdoot …’
1991 O’Kane You Don’t Say 94 = to doubt, to think otherwise: ‘I hear John was drunk again last night and I wouldn’t misdoubt it’.
U.S.:
1909 Payne Word-list East Alabama 349 = to suspect, doubt.
1979 Carpenter Walton War 170 I misdoubt I could ever draw a free breath if I had to stay shut up in a town.
1994 Montgomery Coll I misdoubt that she could do that.
