Etymologically
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mistake

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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
  • 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