Misprision, in law, any serious offense that has no specific name. The 18th-century English jurist Blackstone defined misprision as a crime less than, but bordering on, treason or felony. A positive misprision is the commission of an act that should not have been committed. A negative misprision is the concealment of something known by a person who has a legal obligation to reveal it. Misprision of treason or of felony is the concealment of knowledge of treason or of felony, without any assent to the crime; assent makes one a party or an accessory to the crime. The concept of misprision of felony is virtually obsolete. Misprision of treason is still a crime and is punished as treason.