Misread
/ˌmɪsˈriːd/noun
To read incorrectly or misunderstand what is written.
Did you know?The prefix mis- is an old Germanic marker of wrongness or failure, and read once meant not just decoding text but interpreting signs, so the word carries the idea of a mistaken act of divination.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃reydʰ-
“to advise, counsel, interpret”
Old English
OE
rǣdan
“to advise, interpret, read”
Old English
OE
mis-
“wrongly, badly, astray”
Middle English
ME
misreden
“to read wrongly or interpret badly”
Modern English
EN
misread
“to read incorrectly or misunderstand written words”