1. [adv]  in an imperfect or faulty way; "The lobe was imperfectly developed"; "Miss Bennet would not play at all amiss if she practiced more"- Jane Austen
2. [adv]  in an improper or mistaken or unfortunate manner; "if you think him guilty you judge amiss"; "he spoke amiss"; "no one took it amiss when she spoke frankly"
3. [adv]  away from the correct or expected course; "something has gone awry in our plans"; "something went badly amiss in the preparations"

AMISS is a 5 letter word that starts with A.

1. \A*miss"\, adv. [Pref. a- + miss.]
   Astray; faultily; improperly; wrongly; ill.
         What error drives our eyes and ears amiss? --Shak.
         Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss. --James
                                                  iv. 3.
   {To take (an act, thing) amiss}, to impute a wrong motive to
      (an act or thing); to take offense at; to take unkindly;
      as, you must not take these questions amiss.
   

2. \A*miss"\ ([.a]*m[i^]s"), a.
   Wrong; faulty; out of order; improper; as, it may not be
   amiss to ask advice.
   Note: [Used only in the predicate.] --Dryden.
               His wisdom and virtue can not always rectify that
               which is amiss in himself or his circumstances.
                                                  --Wollaston.
   

3. \A*miss"\, n.
   A fault, wrong, or mistake. [Obs.]
         Each toy seems prologue to some great amiss. --Shak.