mistreat (v.)

c. 1300, trēten (intrans.), "negotiate, debate or discuss for the purpose of settling a dispute;" late 14c. as "bargain, deal with;" from Old French traitier "deal with, act toward; set forth" in speech or writing (12c.). This is from Latin tractare "manage, handle, deal with, conduct oneself (in a certain manner) toward," literally "drag about, tug, haul, pull violently," frequentative of trahere (past participle tractus) "to pull, draw" (see tract (n.1)). Compare entreat.

The sense of "deal with, handle, or develop in speech or writing" is from early 14c.; in reference to tangible objects, "deal with or touch physically," late 14c. The use in medicine "attempt to heal or cure, to manage in the application of remedies," is by early 15c. (Chauliac); one of the Middle English senses of treat (n.) was "medicinal salve" (late 14c.).

The meaning "entertain with food and drink without expense to the recipient by way of compliment, good will or kindness" is by 1710. Related: Treated; treating.

"abuse, wrong or unkind treatment," 1716, from mistreat + -ment. The earlier noun was mistreating (mid-15c.).

prefix of Germanic origin affixed to nouns and verbs and meaning "bad, wrong," from Old English mis-, from Proto-Germanic *missa- "divergent, astray" (source also of Old Frisian and Old Saxon mis-, Middle Dutch misse-, Old High German missa-, German miß-, Old Norse mis-, Gothic missa-), perhaps literally "in a changed manner," and with a root sense of "difference, change" (compare Gothic misso "mutually"), and thus possibly from PIE *mit-to-, from root *mei- (1) "to change."

Productive as word-forming element in Old English (as in mislæran "to give bad advice, teach amiss"). In 14c.-16c. in a few verbs its sense began to be felt as "unfavorably," and it came to be used as an intensive prefix with words already expressing negative feeling (as in misdoubt). Practically a separate word in Old and early Middle English (and often written as such). Old English also had an adjective (mislic "diverse, unlike, various") and an adverb (mislice "in various directions, wrongly, astray") derived from it, corresponding to German misslich (adj.). It has become confused with mis- (2).