Misdemeanor

Etymology

A transparent compound: “mis-” (wrongly, badly) plus “demeanor,” from “demean” in its older sense of conducting oneself, from Old French “demener” (to lead or conduct). A misdemeanor is literally a wrong way of conducting oneself — bad behavior, formalized into law.

noun · /mis-duh-MEE-nur/
A minor crime punishable by a fine or short jail time, less serious than a felony.
What it names
Low-level offenses — reach for it to right-size a charge that sounds alarming but sits at the bottom of the criminal ladder.
Example
Trespassing was charged as a misdemeanor, so he paid a fine and avoided any jail time.
Related idea
A misdemeanor is the minor tier of crime; an infraction (or violation) is milder still — like a traffic ticket — usually punishable only by a fine and not counted as a crime at all.