mismanage

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to organize, control, or use something badly or incompetently

   Successive boards mismanaged the pension fund until it was nearly insolvent.

Formed from mis-, 'badly or wrongly,' + manage. Manage came through French from Italian maneggiare, originally 'to handle or train a horse,' based on mano, 'hand,' from Latin manus. The compound therefore means to handle or direct badly.

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