'mischief' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'meschief', where 'mes-' meant 'badly' and 'chief' meant 'head or end'.

'meschief' transformed into the Middle English word 'mischief', and eventually became the modern English word 'mischief'.

Initially, it meant 'bad end or result', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'playful misbehavior or troublemaking'.