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mischief

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Mischief is playful and often harmless wrongdoing, pranks or bad behavior.

(noun)

An example of mischief is the mild bad behavior by someone who is up-to-no-good.

See mischief in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

harm, damage, or injury, esp. that done by a person
a cause or source of harm, damage, or annoyance; specif.,
1. action or conduct that causes damage or trouble
2. a person causing damage or annoyance
a tendency or disposition to annoy or vex with playful tricks
1. a troublesome or annoying act; prank; playful, vexing trick
2. playful, harmless teasing

Origin: ME meschief < OFr < meschever, to come to grief < mes- (see mis-) + chever, come to a head < chief, end, head (see chief)

See mischief in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

Behavior that causes discomfiture or annoyance in another.
An inclination or tendency to play pranks or cause embarrassment.
One that causes minor trouble or disturbance: The child was a mischief in school.
Damage, destruction, or injury caused by a specific person or thing: The broken window was the mischief of vandals.
The state or quality of being mischievous.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English mischef

Origin: , from Old French meschief, misfortune

Origin: , from meschever, to end badly

Origin: : mes-, badly; see mis-¹

Origin: + chever, to happen, come to an end (from Vulgar Latin *capāre, to come to a head, from *capum, head, from Latin caput; see kaput- in Indo-European roots)

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