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miscarry — (of a pregnancy) to end in the spontaneous loss of the fetus before it can survive outside the womb

Part of speech: VERB

Definition: (of a pregnancy) to end in the spontaneous loss of the fetus before it can survive outside the womb

Pronunciation (IPA): /mɪsˈkæri/

Example Sentences

  • She was devastated when she learned that her pregnancy had miscarried in the early weeks.
  • His brilliant plan to surprise his boss miscarried spectacularly when he accidentally sent the secret email to the entire company instead of just one person.
  • In law school, students study famous cases where justice miscarried due to false testimony.

miscarry

VERB

[/mɪsˈkæri/]

(of a pregnancy) to end in the spontaneous loss of the fetus before it can survive outside the womb

The rescue mission began to miscarry when the storm hit unexpectedly.
💡 Concept

The rescue mission began to miscarry when the storm hit unexpectedly.

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🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/mɪsˈkæri/
🇬🇧 UK/mɪsˈkæri/

🌳Etymology

Prefixmis--
Rootcarry

Origin

The word formed through Middle and Old French influences, combining the prefix 'mis-' (meaning 'wrongly' or 'badly') with 'carry' (from Latin 'carcare', meaning 'to transport or convey'). The literal sense of 'to carry wrongly' evolved to mean the failure to carry a fetus to term, and later extended to mean the failure of any plan or undertaking.

Breakdown

mis- (wrongly, badly) + carry (to transport, convey, or conduct). The compound originally denoted literal failed transport, then specialized to biological contexts (pregnancy) before generalizing to any failed completion of an objective.

🎵Rhyme

carry
marry
tarry

🔗Collocations

miscarry a plan
miscarriage of justice
miscarry naturally
plans miscarry
miscarry badly
the scheme miscarried
likely to miscarry

📝Examples

“She was devastated when she learned that her pregnancy had miscarried in the early weeks.”

😄 Fun example

“His brilliant plan to surprise his boss miscarried spectacularly when he accidentally sent the secret email to the entire company instead of just one person.”

“In law school, students study famous cases where justice miscarried due to false testimony.”

“The rescue mission miscarried when a sudden storm forced the helicopters to turn back.”

😄 Fun example

“If you try to carry ten coffee cups at once to save time, your plan will literally miscarry all over the office floor.”

📚Related Words

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