mizzle

Meanings

Verb

• To rain in very fine drops.
• To abscond, scram, flee.
• To yield.
• To muddle or confuse. (Probably from a misreading of past tense/participle misled.)

Noun

• Misty rain or drizzle.

Origin

• Late Middle English misellen, cognate with Low German miseln, musseln, Dutch miezelen. Of obscure origin, possibly a frequentative related to the base of mist; or, related to Middle Low German mes ("urine"), Middle Dutch mes, mis, both from Old Saxon mehs ("urine"), from Proto-Germanic *mihstuz, *mihstaz, *mihsk-, from *mīganą, from Proto-Indo-European *meiǵʰ-, *omeiǵʰ-. Compare also English micturate ("to urinate"), Old Frisian mese ("urine"), Low German miegen ("to urinate"), Dutch mijgen ("to urinate"), Danish mige ("to urinate").
• Unknown. Perhaps from Shelta misli ("go").