remiss

the word 'remiss' originates from the latin 'remissus', the past participle of 'remittere', meaning "to send back, relax, or abate." this verb is a compound of the prefix 're-' (back) and the verb 'mittere' (to send). the literal sense of sending back or releasing evolved into the figurative meaning of relaxing one's effort or duty. by the late middle english period, it was adopted into english with the specific sense of being negligent or careless in one's obligations, capturing the idea of having "let go" or "slackened" in one's responsibilities.

Structure: re (back, again) + miss (send) 're-' is a Latin prefix meaning "back" or "again." '-miss' is from the Latin root 'miss-', the past participial stem of 'mittere', meaning "to send," functioning here as a verbal root.