Misunderstand
/ˌmɪsˌʌn.dəˈstænd/noun
To interpret something incorrectly or fail to understand it properly.
Did you know?The word is a transparent English compound built from mis- + understand, and its power is linguistic rather than occult: it names the exact moment a message is received but assembled into the wrong meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
mis- + understandan
“To understand wrongly or imperfectly”
Middle English
ME
misunderstanden
“To fail to grasp correctly; to interpret incorrectly”
14th Century
English
misunderstonden
“To take in the wrong sense”
Modern English
English
misunderstand
“To interpret something incorrectly or fail to understand it properly”