'mismanage' originates from the prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' and the word 'manage' from Old French 'managier', which meant 'to handle or control'.

'managier' transformed into the Middle English word 'manage', and eventually became the modern English word 'manage'. The prefix 'mis-' was added to form 'mismanage'.

Initially, it meant 'to handle or control wrongly', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.