mistake

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mɪˈsteɪk/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English mistaken,^[2][3] borrowed from Old Norse mistaka (“to take in error; to miscarry”),^[2][4][3] from mis- “wrongly” and taka “to take”,^[2][3] or formed in English from mis- and take, perhaps a blend of both.^[5] It was northern in its earliest use,^[4] and its meaning was probably influenced by Old French mesprendre.^[4][6] The noun is from the verb.^[5][2] It is related to mistaken.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

“To commit an offence, transgress”: about 1330 in the OED,^[7] the mid-14th century in Etymonline^[5] and before 1338 in Barnhart.^[2]

Semantic evolution

“To misunderstand, take in a wrong sense” is from the late 14th century,^[5][2] and “to take or choose wrongly”, as in to mistake one's way, from 1390.^[7][5] “To err in opinion or judgment” is from the 1580s.^[5] The noun, “an error in action, opinion or judgment”, is from 1638,^[7][2] the 1630s in Etymonline;^[5] the earlier noun was mistaking (about 1300).^[5] And no mistake, “without doubt”, is by 1818,^[5][7] and an unplanned pregnancy or baby from 1957.^[5][7] The Century Dictionary distinguished a mistake, a false judgment or choice, from an error, which may imply moral fault.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 1330 – verb, to transgress.^[7]
• late 14th century – to misunderstand.^[5]
• 1390 – to choose wrongly.^[7]
• 1638 – noun, an error.^[7][2]
• 1818 – and no mistake.^[5][7]
• 1957 – an unplanned pregnancy.^[5][7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An error resulting from poor judgment, lack of knowledge or carelessness.
2. A misunderstanding.

Verb

1. To understand wrongly; to misinterpret.
2. To identify wrongly: mistook him for his brother.
3. To choose wrongly.

Word family

• mistaker
• mistakenly
• mistakingly
• mistakable
• unmistakable

Related words

• mistaken
• take
• mis-
• error

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press