Misconduct is behaviour that breaks the rules of a job or an office. Professional misconduct, gross misconduct, allegations of misconduct.
Gross misconduct is the grade that justifies dismissal without notice in British employment law — theft, violence, serious breach of trust — and what counts is set out in the contract. Professional misconduct is judged by a regulator against a code. In sport, misconduct is a recorded offence. Note that misconduct as a verb, stressed differently, means to behave badly.
1nounmisconductBehaviour that breaks the rules of a job or office.
“The police officer was sacked for misconduct after taking bribes.”
misconduct is improper behaviour.
Mis- plus conduct, from Latin conducere, to lead together. Conduct meant leading before it meant behaviour, and the sense of personal conduct is a metaphor from leading yourself.
Proto-Indo-European
*dewk-
Latin
conductus — defense, escort
English
conduct
English, today
misconduct
Built from
From mis- + conduct noun sense. conduct comes from Latin conductus (“defense, escort”), from Latin conductus, perfect passive participle of condūcō (“bring together”); see also conduce. Displaced native Old English þēaw. a doublet of conduit.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA